


Dawn of Destiny

by Pbroken



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Attempts at BDSM, Cringy at first but it gets better, Dirty Talk, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Love at First Sight, My First Fanfic, Some original mythological characters, Vampire Edward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 37
Words: 131,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pbroken/pseuds/Pbroken
Summary: Life on earth is doomed and depends on one fragile human girl, Bella Swan. Unbeknown to her, with the help of the protectors, she'll come face to face with her destiny and save the world as we know it. Rated M for Lemons Feat. Dirty Edward and starts dark. AU Reviews are greatly appreciated
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**September 13, 1987**

**Egyptian Desert**

We were sitting by the fire as I watched the flames lick the cool night air. The flames danced towards the heavens, twirling, mesmerizing. The stars shown brightly and the light from the full moon gave luminescence to my pale skin. I looked around to my fellow protectors. It was quiet. I know it was because they all felt what I did. The feeling of hope was thick in the air, but no one spoke. The others looked to me with concern in their violet eyes. They were worried about what was to come. For many years I have been haunted by visions of doom, traumatized by visions of him.

There is a vampire who leads others like himself, we have spent years searching for him, but have yet to find him. He is controlling, power hungry, and strong. I have seen the way that he makes others suffer for his own amusement and how he sentences all that cross his path to death. In just over 18 years, using a special ability, this sick and twisted individual will cause the destruction of life. Until today we had no way to stop him and without our interference he will still prevail, but with our assistance the small human child that was born this very day will be the all powerful vampire that will save humanity and all the creatures who call earth home.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**October 8, 2004**

**BPOV**

I watched the rain crawl down the windows of my Uncle Charlie's police cruiser as we drove down the long stretch of highway towards his home. People say that home is where your heart is. In that case I guess my home is dead. I feel the tears stain my cheeks as we sat in silence. It had only been a month, but it feels like an eternity without them. My heart aches at the thought of the night I lost my parents. They were driving home from an evening out when they careened into a ditch where they hit a tree and died on impact. They didn't suffer, which is the only thing that I am grateful for.

I cried endlessly for the first week, slipping in and out of sleep, the pain was too much to bear. I have not spoken since that night. I feel no need to. I don't wish to live anymore and if not for my chronic watchful Uncle I would have already succeeded in my desires. Not only do I have to live with him now, but to make matters worse I had to move to the wettest place in the continental U.S. Forks, WA is a small town, population 1,347, and was now where I would sleep, eat, and hopefully very soon, die.

We entered the city limits where the Welcome to Forks sign stood alerting me of the impending doom. Charlie took the opportunity to talk to me about his duties as chief of police and points out the school that I would be attending starting Monday, tomorrow. I pretend to pay attention, but honestly I don't give a fuck. Prior to the death of my beloved parents, I probably would have made small talk and attempted to be polite to my father's brother, but there was no point to that now, the only person who tied me to Charlie was dead. It was dark when we pulled up in front of a small white two story house as he prattled on. He parked the car and shut the engine off.

"So Bella, this is it!" he exclaimed as I stepped out of the car.

He grabbed my bags out of the trunk and walked up the two porch steps as I trailed behind. I stepped through the front door and he gave me a brief description of the layout downstairs.

"Kitchen is on the left. Living room is on the right. And the bathroom is underneath the stairs," he stated as he pointed to each of the rooms.

I didn't look at any of the rooms. I didn't plan to stay living long enough to care about what his house looked like or where anything is. I followed him up the stairs where he pointed out his bedroom on the right, the room I would have on the left and the bathroom straight ahead. He set my bags down in the corner of what is supposed to be my bedroom. The room was empty except for an oak dresser, nightstand, and a bed with a white comforter and linens. The walls were bare and white which is fine because I would only be occupying it for a short time anyway. I lied on the bed and faced the wall.

"Is there anything I can get you, Bella? Are you hungry?" Charlie asked clearly concerned.

I just shake my head in response as silent tears soak the white bedding. Charlie left the room with the door open, probably so he can keep an eye on me. I prayed silently that time would reverse, to see them again, but most of all I prayed for death, to rid my body of this constant ache. The salty tears streamed down my face and I slowly drift into unconsciousness.

I awoke to the sound of rain pelting the window by the bed. It was early, but Charlie was already up. I got out of bed, grabbed a set of clothes and walked to the bathroom to start the shower. As the water heated up I brushed my teeth. My reflection was blank of expression. It reflected exactly what I felt, empty. My mousey brown hair lay lifeless on my shoulders. My brown eyes stained red by my tears. I checked the medicine cabinet to find that Charlie had already removed all the pills and razors from the bathroom.

Last week, when we were still in Phoenix packing up the house, he had woken up to find me unconscious on the bathroom floor after taking nearly an entire bottle of Tylenol. The doctors said that if Charlie hadn't arrived when he did I would probably be dead. Too bad that's exactly what I wanted. I had to agree to see a therapist after the move for them to let me go. Charlie made an appointment for me to see the therapist starting next week, to give me a chance to get settled in.

I stepped into the shower and let the water run down my body. I showered slowly being in no hurry to start the day. Hell, if it was up to me, I would be no more then a corpse by now. Soon the water began to run cold and I was forced to get out. I put on my jeans and long sleeved black t-shirt and brought my hair up into a ponytail. I walked down the stairs to join Charlie in the kitchen. He was leaning on the counter sipping his normal morning coffee and reading the paper.

"Morning, Bells. Cereal is on the counter, milks in the fridge. Hurry up and eat. After you're done I will drive you to school," he said as he finished off his coffee.

As if life couldn't get any shittier I get to be dropped off at school like a five year old. Wonderful, life is just fucking wonderful. I grabbed the box of cereal and the milk and sat at the table. After eating I tossed the bowl in the sink, slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed Charlie out to the cruiser.

He drove to the high school in silence, but before I was able to get out of the car he turned to me and embraced me in a warm hug. Charlie is not much for loving gestures, but he tried his best to make me feel comforted since the accident. He let out a deep sigh and pulled away to look at me.

His voice was deep with concern when he spoke to me.

"Now Bella, I know this is hard for you and I understand that, but please try and feel better okay? Renee and Phil would not have wanted you to live this way. If you need me just call."

With that he handed me a small silver cell phone. I nodded my head, grabbed my things and stepped out of the car. My eyes caught the school sign that read Welcome to Forks High School, but as far as I was concerned it should have read Welcome to Hell.

Charlie had come down to the school and spoken with my teachers about my situation so I already had my class schedule and a detailed map of the campus, although I probably would have been able to find the classes on my own. The school is incredibly small compared to what I was used to. It has only three brick buildings surrounded by an endless amount of trees. I walked slowly to my first class staring intently at the ground. I could hear the whispers of the students around me and I was not keen on making interaction with any of them.

My first class was English. I enjoy reading and classic literature so it was somewhat comforting to discover that the current reading assignment is one of my favorites, Romeo and Juliet. I have read it many times and have several papers on the story already completed. As Mr. Mason spoke of the feuding Capulet and Montague families my gaze turned towards the window. The rain was dying down into a light drizzle. I stared at the tall forest trees masked by the wet drops on the glass. I used to hate the rain, but now I find it oddly soothing. When my tears run dry it is as if the heavens continue to cry for me.

The bell rings signaling the end of classes. I pull my gaze from the window to find the classroom empty. I reach down to pick up my things, but a small movement outside catches my eye. I look out the window to see a pair of bright violet eyes staring back at me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**BPOV**

I felt drawn to the pair of violet eyes and was unable to pull my eyes from their gaze. Suddenly, a memory began to flash in my mind. I saw my mother. She was tucking me in to bed, and sweeping the hair out of my eyes to kiss my cheek. My father kissed my forehead and wished me a good night. After curling into the afghan my mother had knitted for me, I let out a contented sigh as they walked out of the room and shut the door.

The vision of my parents caused a chain reaction of feelings; love, longing, loneliness, hurt, anguish, but above all it brought pain. Their lives had been torn away from me and it ripped my heart to pieces. I clutched my chest in my hands as I collapsed to the floor. I began to weep uncontrollably when I felt my heart tear. The pain was simply too much for me to handle. Darkness began to envelop me. I let it take me and prayed that it would rid me of my agony.

I awoke to the beeping of a heart monitor and took in the view of the hospital room that surrounded me. Charlie sat in a chair located in the corner of the room hunched against the wall, snoring loudly. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized that it was 10 o'clock. Reaching up to sooth my throbbing headache, I discovered a bandage around my head. I was trying to figure out what had happened when a somewhat young looking doctor knocked on the door frame and stepped into the room. He was beautiful, pale skinned, with bright golden eyes and dirty blonde hair. He looked down at the clipboard in his hand and then at me.

"Ah, Isabella Swan, I am Dr. Cullen, but you can call me Carlisle. You took quite a spill in class. Hit your head pretty hard on the desk. We had to give you a few stitches and a sedative to calm your nerves. You were extremely distraught when one of your classmates found you. How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked.

Charlie startled awake at the sound of Carlisle's voice.

"Oh, she won't respond, she hasn't spoken since her parents died last month," Charlie informed him.

"Well that's a pity," Carlisle responded with a frown. "I am sure that you have a beautiful voice," Carlisle stated as the frown was replaced with a beaming smile.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and gave him a bright smile in response.

"We're going to keep you overnight, so try and get some rest. Would you like something for the pain?" he asked. I nodded my head in response and winced at the stinging pain it caused.

After the nurse administered the pain medication, I quickly fell asleep. I awoke around 1:30 in the morning feeling groggy and uncomfortably warm in the many blankets that I am sure Charlie had wrapped around me. When I caught the sound of quiet voices in deep conversation, I lifted my head to find Carlisle speaking with a young girl just outside the door to my room. She was small with short, spiky, black hair and seemed to be extremely frustrated. I became incredibly curious as to what they were talking about. Despite knowing it was rude to eavesdrop, I still couldn't help but listen in.

The small girl's voice was a low whisper when she spoke. "I must see her, Carlisle. She needs my help."

"I'm sorry Alice, but I cannot allow that," he explained.

"When she's with Edward she'll be happy again. I won't tell her anything that I have seen about her and Edward, but I just want to comfort her until he can," she responded.

"Alice, I understand what you have seen and that you only wish to help her, but she's in no capacity to handle meeting you right now. You will wait until she is doing better to speak with her. Do you understand?" He asked her in a commanding voice.

"Yes, Carlisle I understand," she resigned, staring at her feet like a 5 year old being told to stay out of the cookie jar.

When confused by their conversation, I guessed it served me right for listening in. I started to feel the effects of the medication again. My eyelids dropped and I drifted back to sleep.

_I was alone, cramped into a small room where the darkness surrounded me. It brought me to my knees with fear. I cried out to someone, anyone to save me, but no one came. Beginning to scream, I reached for something, anything to pull me out of this place. As I reached out, I felt a gentle hand grip mine and noticed a bright light forming around me. The light engulfed the room. The walls, unable to hold, crashed under the weight of the powerful light. I found myself surrounded by it and as it passed through me warmth coursed through my veins. It began in my heart and radiated out to the rest of my body, lighting my soul ablaze._

_The light dimmed and I was finally able to see the hand that was grasped onto mine. My father stood above me with his hand intensely attached to my own. My mother stood beside me with arms held open wide beckoning me to embrace her. When I latched my arms around them, I instantly felt my heart mend and become whole again. They ran soothing circles along my back as I cried and sobbed. The tears began to fade as a feeling of love filled me. My mother wiped the salty tears from my face then she stared intently into my eyes. After pushing a stray hair behind my ear, my father kissed my cheek as my mother kissed my other one._

My eyes fluttered open and a smile lit up my face. For the first time since my parents passed, I was happy. I finally felt hope for the future. My parents had given me the one thing that I wanted most, to say goodbye.

I was still reveling in my new found happiness when a beautiful brunette woman with pale skin and topaz eyes came in to the room carrying a tray of delicious looking food. She sets the tray in front of me and sits in the chair beside my cot.

"Hello Isabella, I am Esme, Carlisle's wife. I thought you could use some breakfast," she said in a soothing, motherly voice

She reached out and grasped my hand lightly. Her hand was cold, freezing actually, but her touch made me feel warm inside.

"How are you feeling, child?" she asked, her voice full of concern and affection.

She's such a kind woman, so loving, and reminded me a lot of my mother. After returning her kind gesture with a sheepish smile, I opened my mouth to speak for the first time in a month.

"Much better now, thank you so much for breakfast, it looks delicious," I told her in a raspy voice. After going so long without talking, it felt strange to hear my voice again.

Esme then leaned over and kissed my forehead softly

"Not a problem, dear. I'm so glad you are feeling better. I'll go get Carlisle to have him check you over okay?" she questioned as she stood from the chair.

I nodded my head and began to eat the breakfast she had brought for me as she walked out of the room. The French toast was delicious. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so wonderful before. As I was finishing the last of the food, I noticed Charlie walking in. I glanced up at him as he came to sit down in the corner of the room, where he had fallen asleep last night. When I saw Carlisle enter the room, I moved my tray to the side.

"So, I hear you're feeling better, Isabella," he stated while checking my vitals.

"Bella, just Bella," I corrected him as I looked up at him with a smile on my face.

Charlie jumped at the sound of my voice and I saw his lips curve into a smirk.

Carlisle began to remove the bandage as he spoke to me.

"Well, just Bella, it looks like you are good to go home now. The swelling has gone down and I will set up an appointment with me to remove the stitches later this week. I'll have the nurse bring in the discharge papers and you'll be all set to go. Today, I would like you to rest and tomorrow you can go back to school."

I stood up from the bed to grab my clothes while I spoke to Carlisle.

"Thank you, Carlisle. Hopefully, I won't be seeing you much more under these circumstances. I can be extremely clumsy."

I laughed and it was at that moment that gravity agreed with me and I slipped on my shirt, but caught myself on the bed.

"See," I stated clearly, gesturing to the shirt I had slipped on.

The room erupted into laughter as I reached down to pick up the shirt and throw it on the bed.

"Well, try to be safe Ms. Swan," he said with a chuckle.

I dressed quickly and turned into the hallway where Charlie was waiting for me. We walked outside and the sun shone brightly. The heavens opened up to light the colorful leaves on the fall trees and I took a deep breath.

"Life is wonderful," I whispered to myself and stepped into Charlie's police cruiser.

On the short drive home, Charlie told me that he had invited over his friend Billy and his son, Jacob, to watch sports later today. I have to admit I am kind of excited to meet them. Billy and Jacob are part of the local Quileute tribe and I've heard from Charlie that they tell some pretty fascinating stories.

After changing into a clean pair of jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt, I decided to unpack some of my things. I was feeling much better after the encounter with my parents. I don't know if I could call it a dream or not because it just felt so real. Before I knew it, the door bell rang and Charlie called for me to come downstairs. I set the picture of my parents, which I had just pulled out, on my night stand and smiled at it one last time before I left the room. They were all standing at the front door as I descended the stairs.

"Here she is. Bells, this is Billy and his son Jacob," Charlie stated.

Jacob stood next to Billy's wheelchair as he leaned against the door frame. You could definitely see the family resemblance between them. They both had dark tan skin, warm brown eyes and long black hair. Jacob was taller than I had expected. Charlie had told me he was only 15, but he stood before me already at least 6'0.

I gave them each a sheepish smile, reached out and shook Billy's hand and then Jacob's. After feeling a small spark when I touched Jacob's hand, I shrugged it off. It must have been static electricity or something.

"Nice, to meet you both," I said politely.

"Likewise," Billy said. "Jacob's been excited to meet you. He heard a great deal about you from Charlie here."

"Uh… thanks dad. Hey Bells, I know we just met and all and I hope you don't mind, but I kind of have a surprise for you, a gift actually," Jacob said as he fidgeted and reached in his pocket.

"Well I don't really like surprises or gifts, but since we just met I'll let it slide," I laughed, "What is it?" I asked, intrigued.

Jacob gestured to me to follow him out the front door and there sat an old beat up, but functional looking red Chevy truck. I gasped as he handed me the keys.

"You're giving me a car!" I exclaimed as my mouth dropped in shock.

"Well, yeah. I work on cars and I actually restored it. Your uncle told me that you didn't have a car and I just thought that since I'm not old enough to drive yet that you could have it. I have a new project I'm working on now anyway," he said while he intently stared at the ground. He was clearly concerned of how I would react.

I knew that it was too much, but I also could tell that it would upset him if I didn't accept the truck. He's really sweet and I don't want to hurt his feelings.

"Normally, I wouldn't accept such a gift, but I really do need a car unless I want to be driven around in the cruiser like a common criminal," I laughed and the others joined me. "Thank you so much Jake," I said then surprised him with a hug. I felt the shock again when my arms wrapped around him. When I pulled away, I found Jake with a look of pure joy on his face. I smiled, stepped back, and felt heat form in my cheeks at the thought of my sudden reaction.

"You're welcome, Bells," he said. It looked like he was about to blush when his expression changed back to its former, child-like, state. "Come on. Let's take it for a test run!" he exclaimed as he walked towards the truck.

I turned to Charlie to see if it was okay and he nodded. I strolled over to the truck and hopped in. After turning the key, the truck came to life with a roar and I smiled with glee at the sound.

"Just be back by 9, Bells. It's a school night," Charlie shouted as we rolled out of the drive way and headed down the road. I chuckled slightly at the protective statement.

"So, where should we go?" I asked Jake. "I actually don't really know my way around here at all yet."

"Do you wanna go to First Beach? It's on the reservation. I like to go there to think sometimes," he responded.

"Sure, just tell me how to get there because I have no idea where I'm going," I said with a laugh.

After Jake gave me directions, I drove while he talked about school and his friends. He told me he was restoring an old VW rabbit and how he couldn't find the last few parts he needed. It was right around 4 in the afternoon when we parked and walked down to the beach. Fortunately, it only took us about 20 minutes to get here. It's nice that the beach is so close. The clouds had not rolled back in and the sun was nearing the horizon as we walked down the beach.

"So, I heard you hit your head yesterday. How are you feeling?" Jake asked with concern in his voice.

At first I was surprised that he knew, but then realized that Charlie probably told him. If he hadn't told him, then I figured it's because this is such a small town so everybody probably knew.

"I feel a lot better now. Hurts a little, but Carlisle did a great job sewing me up," I responded.

"Carlisle sewed you up, as in Dr. Carlisle Cullen?" Jake questioned with a worried look on his face.

I was confused by his reaction and determined to find out why he looked so concerned.

"Yeah, Dr. Cullen was the doctor that took care of me. Why does that bother you? Is there something wrong with him?" I asked as we continued to walk.

"Well no, at least _I_ don't think so. See, it's kind of strange. My dad doesn't really like Dr. Cullen and his family. It's got to do with the legends of our tribe. I'm really not supposed to talk about it," he replied hesitantly as he stared at the ground.

I knew that I probably shouldn't pry, but I really wanted to know why anyone wouldn't like Carlisle or his family. He'd been nothing, but understanding and kind with me. I stopped walking and turned to Jake. I was set on getting an answer.

"I won't tell anybody, Jake. You can trust me," I told him while looking into his dark brown eyes.

He sighed as we sat down next to each other in the sand. He then began to tell me a story of the cold ones. The cold ones are the enemy to his tribe, which are supposedly descendants of wolves. I listened closely when he told me about a treaty his grandfather Ephriam Black had made with the Cullens. I was fascinated with the story, skeptical of course, but fascinated.

As Jake talked, the sun was slowly setting, giving off brilliant shades of pinks and purples, oranges and golds. The waves made a soothing sound as they broke and crashed to the shore. I watched it all as he told me stories of his tribe. He told me many stories, some about the wolves, others about the cold ones. My favorite was one of the third wife, a human woman who had stopped the advances of the cold ones by distracting them with her own blood. I liked the thought of a human having power over such amazing creatures.

After he was done telling me the legends, he turned to look at me and took my tiny hands into his much larger ones. I felt the small jolt again and it made me heart speed up.

"I don't know what it is about you Bells, but I feel extremely close to you. I know it sounds strange, but I just feel this electricity between us," he said in a soft voice as he stared intently into my eyes.

So, he had felt it too. It wasn't strong, but it was there. He brought his hand to my cheek and brushed away the hair that had fallen in front of my face. Before I could say anything or even blink Jake was leaning into me and his lips met mine. I felt heat radiate through me at the feel of his warm soft lips on mine. My hands roamed to his hair and pulled him closer to me as the kiss deepened.

He laid me back onto the sand as his hands ran over my sides down to my hips. He hovered over me and pulled his lips from mine to catch his breath. I let out a small moan as he pressed his lips to my neck and began to suck on the skin beneath my ear. I could feel his hands drifting underneath the hem of my shirt and I sucked in enough breath to speak.

"Jake, we…have to…stop. I can't…do this," I managed to choke out. I was out of breath and my words came out between gasps.

Jake let out a sigh against my neck and I felt his hot breath on my ear.

"Why not, Bells?" he whispered as he pulled away. He gazed into my eyes as he spoke. "I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world. You're funny," he kissed my lips softly, "smart," he kissed me again, "kind," and again, "and thoughtful," he kissed me deeply this time and I felt the passion flame within me. He pulled back and spoke again. "You feel the electricity between us. I know you do, so why do we have to stop, Bells. We could be together, you and me," he said in a husky passionate voice as he stroked my cheek with his warm fingers.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I'm just not ready for this. I feel it, I do, but I can't be what you want. I'm still coping with the loss of my parents. I just can't do this right now," I said with a deep sigh.

Jake pulled back and sat up.

"I understand, Bells. I'm sorry I pushed you too far. However you want me I'll be here for you," he said as he stood.

"So, can we be friends, Jake?" I asked as I looked up at him.

He reached for my hand and pulled me up to me feet as he said "Always and forever, Bells."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

"So, what do you think of First Beach?" Jake asked in his husky voice.

"It's nice, but I think we should be getting back now," I said softly.

We walked back towards the truck hand in hand. It was just getting dark as I pulled into the driveway and stepped out of the truck. Jake came around and walked beside me. You could hear the television from outside and as we walked through the front door, laughter echoed through the house.

"Hey Bells, we're in here! Pizza's in the kitchen if you kids are hungry," Charlie shouted from the living room couch.

I grabbed a slice of pizza and so did Jake. We walked into the living room and I sat on the couch while Jake sat on the floor. I ate and watched TV for a while, but I started to get tired and decided it was time to go to bed. I said goodnight to Charlie and Billy. Jake followed me to the steps and leaned in to whisper low in my ear.

"Night Bells, and don't forget what I said, always and forever. I have no regrets. You can have me anyway you want me."

He kissed my cheek softly and I gave him a small smile.

"Night Jake thanks for being my friend. I really needed one."

I walked up the steps and stopped at the bathroom to brush my teeth. I collapsed onto my bed and for the first time in a long time fell asleep without shedding a tear.

After changing into my jeans and a purple blouse, I climbed into my truck. I had also put on a light gray jacket because it's always so cold and wet here all the time. Lucky for me the sun is actually out today. I felt nervous about my first real day at school. Even though I only made it through one class on Monday, I was really hoping to make it the whole day this time.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I realized I was the first one there. I reached into my bag my tattered copy of Romeo and Juliet so I could read and pass the time. I was deeply into reading Act III when I heard a knock on the window and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The parking lot was full of cars now and I turned to find a baby faced boy with blonde hair and blue eyes staring at me. I closed my book and stepped out of my truck.

"Hi, I'm Mike Newton," he said as he reached out a hand to me.

"Bella Swan," I said as I shook his hand. "I don't want to be rude, but is there a reason you felt compelled to scare the living daylights out of me?"

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I was actually the one who found you on Monday," he said in a shy voice as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was obviously nervous, although I can't fathom why.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," I stated simply as I grabbed my bag from the seat of the truck.

"Great, could I walk you to class maybe?" he asked nervously.

I could have said yes, but I really didn't want to. It was now abundantly clear that he liked me and he was no where near my type. I definitely didn't want to be around a guy who didn't even have the guts to walk me to class without being nervous.

"Thanks, but I'm a big girl I know my way around. You should probably just get to class or you'll be late," I said as I walked away towards my English class.

English flew by, so did math, and Spanish. I met a nice girl in my Spanish class named Angela. She was really sweet, nothing like the other girls I had talked to. We sat together at lunch with a few of the other people she hung out with. Too bad Mike was in that category. I could feel him gazing at me. I tried my best to ignore him as I talked to Angela and her friend Jessica Stanley.

"So, when do the stitches come out?" Angela asked, with actual interest.

"Dr. Cullen said he will take them out on Saturday actually," I stated

"You had Dr. Cullen! Isn't he delicious? Wait until you see his foster kids they are all just as gorgeous as he is. Too bad they are all coupled off, well that is except for Edward. I wouldn't mind coupling with him," Jessica blurted out as her eyes glazed over while she swooned.

I giggled at her ogling of the Cullens, but found myself interested in seeing what the rest of the family looked like.

"They won't be in until Monday though. Dr. Cullen and his wife are taking them camping through Friday," Angela said to Jessica, obviously trying to bring her down from the high she had herself in.

Jessica let out a sigh and pouted her lips in disappointment. Both Angela and I burst into laughter as the bell rang. I had biology and then my dreaded gym class. Biology was easy enough, apparently my lab partner was out of town, but the class did a project I could do on my own without a problem. In gym I got to sit out because of my stitches, thank god. I have the worst coordination. They played volleyball as I sat on the bleachers and watched.

Thursday and Friday passed relatively quickly. I was starting to become good friends with Angela and we spent nearly all of Spanish passing notes. Lunch was spent talking about various subjects with both Angela and Jessica, boys being one of the main things Jessica discussed. I had never had a boyfriend. Hell, up until a few days ago I had never even been kissed. So I didn't have much input on those conversations. Apparently Jessica really liked Mike and Angela had her sights set on a boy named Ben in her history class.

After discovering that my dear Uncle Charlie couldn't cook his way out of a paper bag, I took up the responsibility of cooking for the two of us. Charlie left early this morning to go fishing with Billy after I assured him last night that I could drive myself to the hospital. It was Saturday and I was finally going to get my stitches removed, they itched like hell and I was anxious to get them taken out.

After pulling on a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue sweater I drove to the hospital and waited in the waiting room for the nurse to call me back.

"Isabella Swan, the doctor will see you now," she announced and I dropped the magazine I had been reading on the table.

She placed me in one of the exam rooms and I sat on the exam table, waiting patiently for Carlisle.

"Bella, it's so nice to see you!" Carlisle exclaimed as he walked in the room with a bright grin on his face.

"It's nice to see you too, Carlisle. I am so excited to get these things taken out. They itch like no other," I said as I returned his smile with my own.

After he was done removing the stitches, he gave me a cream to put on that would help the itching and heal the wound faster.

"Thanks, Carlisle," I said as I shook his cool hand and walked towards the exit.

That's when I saw him, the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He was talking to the head nurse at the nurse's station, but he must have heard Carlisle speak because when he turned to face us, I caught his eyes gaze straight at me. He was tall and pale, not too big, but not too skinny either. I could see the contours of his lean muscles through his clothes. His dark jeans and white shirt with gray coat hugged him in all the right places. He looked like a model with a strong chin, bronze tousled hair and the most captivating butterscotch eyes. When I saw his face take on a slightly confused expression, I realized that I was staring and had actually stopped breathing. I forced myself to look away as I caught my breath.

"Ah, Carlisle, there you are," he said as he walked towards us. The look of confusion had been replaced with a crooked smile that brightly lit up his face. "Alice told me that you needed to speak with me."

Why does that name sound familiar? I thought to myself.

Carlisle looked confused as he responded, "I don't know why she would say that, she must have been mistaken."

I saw the young man's body go rigid as he took a deep breath and a look of pure want and need crossed his face. I could tell by his stance that he was extremely uncomfortable I don't know what I had done that would have made him so tense. I was just about to leave when Carlisle turned to me.

"Oh, Bella, I apologize for being so rude. This is my son Edward," he said gesturing to the gorgeous man he was speaking with.

"Not a problem Carlisle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward," I said as I reached out to shake his hand. I felt my heart skip a beat when he placed his hand in mine. It was cold, but his touch sent a heat of electricity through my body. It was like grasping a live wire and it made my heart thump loud and erratically in my chest. He pulled his hand away quickly, as did I and I felt a small piece of me missing when our hands were no longer connected.

Edward stood before me even more rigid then before and I realized that I should probably leave at that point.

I turned to Carlisle and spoke. "Thanks again for helping me, Carlisle. I should be going," I then turned back to Edward and stared into his hard golden eyes as I spoke in a shy voice.

"I guess I'll see you at school, Edward."

He simply nodded in response and I took that as my cue to leave. I was hyperventilating as I approached my truck and had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I turned the key and headed home as I thought about my strange encounter with Edward Cullen, the electricity between us, the temperature of his hand, and the stiffness of his body. I had instantly felt apart of him when my hand touched his. I thought about the stories that Jake had told me and decided that it's about time I do a little research on the matter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**EPOV**

I was sitting on my couch in my room, reading my worn out copy of Romeo and Juliet again. I enjoy the classics and that is one of my personal favorites. I like the thought that two people can overcome all odds to come together. It's not often that a love such as theirs comes along. Due to the sunny weather the last couple days, I spent my time in my meadow. The heat was wonderful on my cold skin. Since it was a Saturday and cloudy, the family was all caught up in their own activities.

My brothers, Emmett and Jasper, were busy playing video games downstairs. My mother, Esme, was tending to her garden while my sister, Rosalie, worked on her car. My other sister, Alice, was hiding out somewhere; she had been extremely secretive lately. She's even been reciting Romeo and Juliet in her mind to keep her thoughts hidden from me, that's actually one of the reasons I decided to read it again.

Mind reading is such a burden I really wish that I could just shut it off sometimes especially when I have to see my families more private thoughts. I found myself extremely interested to see what Alice was hiding from me, but it seems she was dead set on me not finding out. It's probably one of her visions. The little sprite sees the future and tends to find a way to bother me with that fact constantly. I was just getting to Act III when I heard a knock on my door. It was Alice of course. My little sister always figures out one way or another to annoy me, but I still love her like she was my own flesh and blood. Of course everyone knows siblings argue.

"What is it, Alice?" I said as I glared at her with a slight smirk on my face.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing," she responded as she hopped onto the couch next to me.

"I'm reading, Alice, but you knew that. You probably saw it in one of those visions you're keeping locked up in that tiny pixie head of yours," I stated as I tapped on her forehead with my right hand while I continued to hold the book with my left.

She smiled and responded quickly to my teasing.

"Hey! There's no need to be so mean, Eddie," she said with glee in her voice. She knows I hate it when anybody calls me Eddie.

I laid my book down, knowing I would have no trouble getting back to the exact page I was on. I had memorized the whole story the first time I read it, one of the few tricks of the vampire mind.

Looking up to Alice annoyed by her pestering, I began to probe for the real reason she was here.

"So, what do you really want Alice?"

"Can't I just come to spend some time with my big brother?" She questioned back, with the angelic smile still plastered on her face.

"You could if you weren't hiding something from me," I said as I threw the pillow from the couch at her.

She caught it before it even hit her and rested it on her lap as she finally told me what she came in here for.

"Carlisle called actually. He wanted you to come down to the hospital to speak with him. I think it has something to do with local animal attacks or some nonsense."

If Carlisle wanted to speak with me about animal attacks it could only mean one thing. He was concerned if they were actually animal attacks or nomads. I sprang up from the couch and raced out of the room. I heard Alice shout, "It will be alright. You'll thank me later!" as I reached the door.

I wondered briefly what she meant, but the sooner I got to the hospital and talked to Carlisle the better. Running would be faster than taking the Volvo so I took off on foot.

Running is exhilarating it's one of the few things that I really enjoy about being a vampire. The task is much easier when you have no need to breath and you never grow tired. I could run for hours without getting bored. After I was changed and the blood lust finally lessened, I ran for a week straight just to see what it would feel like. It was like nothing I ever imagined. I ran all the way to China before I decided to turn back just from boredom.

As the direction of the wind changed, I caught the scent of a mountain lion nearby. I decided I could take a small detour along the way. It would help since there would be a lot of blood at the hospital. Not to mention mountain lion is my favorite after all. I took off following its trail north. When I started to get close I crouched down and slowed my movements as I stalked forward towards my pray.

The animal barely had time to respond when I launched onto its back and sank my teeth into the pulsating vein on its neck. I drank slowly to savor the wonderfully thick warm blood as it passed over my tongue. Once the lion was drained I dug a hole and buried the body. I hated having to always bury the animals, but it had to be done so that hunters wouldn't start to get suspicious.

After I buried the lion I washed off in a stream that was close by so I wouldn't have to go all the way back to the house. I took off again towards the hospital feeling satiated and anxious to speak with Carlisle. I walked through the glass doors and headed straight towards the nurses' station. I could hear the thoughts of the woman behind the counter as they slowly got more and more vile.

_Mmmm Edward's here. I so needed a pick me up today. I wonder if he would pick me up onto the counter and take me right here. He's so amazingly hot. I bet he's big too._

I tried to block her out after that. The visions women can think up tend to be extremely detailed and I definitely did not want to see any more fantasies. I have to deal with them far too much as it is. Hell, Jessica Stanley's mind alone has dreamt me up in every position imaginable.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the woman's thoughts as I peer over the counter and smile politely at her as I speak.

"My sister told me that my father wanted to speak with me. Could you tell me where he might be?" I asked her even though I clearly could find him myself, but we have to keep up pretenses.

Just as she was about to respond I heard Carlisle's voice and turned to see him speaking with a young girl. She's so beautiful, I thought to myself. Her eyes were a wonderful hue of brown with small flecks of honey gold that I am sure only vampires noticed. Her wavy chestnut hair fell past her shoulders and her pale skin was alabaster against the dark blue sweater that she wore. I trailed my eyes down her body to admire the way her sweater was skin tight against her breasts showing just enough skin to make me wish I could see more. Her slender legs were pronounced in her darks jeans and the whole outfit was completed with a pair of simple white tennis shoes.

I focused in to try and read her thoughts to see if she had noticed me staring at her, but strange enough I couldn't hear anything. Well, this is a first I thought to myself. While walking towards Carlisle and the girl, I hoped that maybe I could get the opportunity to know her better.

"Ah, Carlisle, there you are," I said as I was walking over. I smiled a crooked smile at the girl and then spoke to Carlisle again. "Alice told me that you needed to speak with me."

When I heard his thoughts I could tell he was confused.

_What? I don't understand Edward. I haven't spoken with Alice since I left this morning._

Carlisle responded then out loud.

"I don't know why she would say that, she must have been mistaken."

I saw the confusion leave Carlisle's face and he shut off his thoughts to me before I was able to discover what he was thinking.

I was concerned about why Alice would have lied to me. It annoyed me that she would send me on some wild goose chase and now on top of that Carlisle was hiding something from me. He had been blocking me all week and it was really starting to irritate me. I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves out of old habit and that's when it hit me. The enticing smell of the girl's blood took me by surprise as I felt my entire body become rock hard. I held my breath and began to fake breathing to keep up appearances.

_Careful, Edward! I know that look. Just hold your breath and calm yourself. It will be fine, you can do this. Don't worry I won't let you hurt her. Maybe if I introduce you it'll help. That way she will seem more human and less like something to eat._

Carlisle then turned towards Bella to speak with her.

"Oh, Bella, I apologize for being so rude. This is my son Edward," he said gesturing to me.

"Not a problem Carlisle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward," she said in the most angelic voice I had ever heard and the way my name rolled of her lips made me feel as if my still heart could beat again.

Her hand reached out to shake mine and her voice distracted me enough from her blood to reach out and place my hand in hers. That's when several things happened. I heard her heart skip a beat and I felt the heat of her hand snake its way into my veins and radiate to the rest of my body. I heard her heart begin to beat loud and fast in her chest, and I felt the most powerful energy surge through me.

I released her hand quickly so as not to hurt her and a part of me chipped away the second my hand released hers. The sudden feeling of loss caught me off guard and I couldn't hold my breath anymore. I started breathing again and the fire in my throat felt as if it were going to scorch me from the inside out. It hadn't been this bad since my change.

Bella thanked Carlisle and then turned back to me.

"I guess I'll see you at school, Edward," she said as her entrancing brown eyes connected with mine.

When my Bella spoke my name again the sound of her gentle voice caused the warmth in my heart to soar and the burn of the thirst lessened just enough for me to nod my head in response. I watched her walk away mesmerized by the way her hips swayed as she walked. The burn subsided completely and I turned to face Carlisle who was smiling with fatherly pride.

_You did a great job, son. Let's go in my office, we should probably talk about this._

I shut the door to Carlisle's office behind me and sat in the chair in front of his desk while he sat on the other side.

"So what happened out there, son?" He asked. I could tell by his thoughts that he was extremely interested in my reaction to Bella and what had triggered the blood lust that I had controlled with little effort prior to meeting her.

I ran my fingers through my hair nervously as I focused on what had transpired. I tried to think about how to explain it all to him.

"I don't know, Carlisle… At first when I saw the two of you all I could focus on was her body. I have never felt that attracted to someone, vampire or human. I tried to hear her thoughts, but I couldn't and then when I caught her scent suddenly all that mattered was her blood. It felt as if it was calling to me. The only thing that stopped me from draining her was when she started talking. Her voice was like music to me, it actually was able to somewhat calm the thirst." I stated and then paused. I was nervous about telling him the last part of what happened, but decided it would be best if I just told him.

"When her hand touched mine… I felt this energy between us. It was as if she was made for me and me for her. I know it sounds strange, but for some reason I have this feeling that we are meant to be together, like meeting her was fate or something…" My voice trailed off at that point and the room became silent.

Carlisle briefly thought over what I had said and his voice was quiet when he spoke.

"By the way that you described your reactions to Bella she appears to be your singer, her blood calls to you unlike any others. There are few vampires who ever find their singer and from what I have heard none of them have been able to resist the call of a singer's blood. What you just did is completely unheard of among our kind and I am very proud of you my boy" he said with a smile and gave me a brief moment to absorb the new information before continuing. "Edward, there's something that I have been meaning to speak with you about, something that I have been hiding from you," he stated with a guilty expression.

He stood and walked over to me as he spoke in an anxious voice.

"Alice came to see me on Monday night after Bella came in and told me of a vision she had. Her vision was of you…and Bella. She saw you mated to her, son."

He placed a hand on my shoulder and my eyes went wide as I gazed up at him. I stood up quickly and began to pace the room.

"That cannot happen, Carlisle. She is human and if what you are saying about her being my singer is true I could have killed her just now," I blurted out with anger clear in my voice.

"You could have, but you didn't, Edward. You said yourself that you feel that she and you were made for each other. Love is difficult, son. It's not meant to be easy and if you want her, you will have to fight for her," he said in an angry tone equal to my own.

I sat back down and laid my head in my hands. How could this be? My mate was human and on top of that she was also my singer. I needed some answers. I needed to speak with Alice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**EPOV**

I came home to find Alice waiting for me at the front door. From her thoughts, I could tell that she already knew what I wanted to talk about.

_We shouldn't talk about this here. Let's go somewhere that we can be alone, just the two of us._

I nodded my head in response to her thoughts and we walked outside at a slow human pace. As we walked, Alice began to show me her vision.

_We were in my room on a large iron bed with a deep blue comforter. I was hovering over top of Bella stroking her cheek with my hand. She caressed my back with her fingers as she whispered to me._

" _Please, Edward, this is what I want. I need you."_

_She stared into my eyes and I drowned in the brown pools of her own._

" _I don't know if I can do this, Bella. I love you with all that I am and I want this, but I just don't know if I'm strong enough to stop," I said to her in a strained voice._

_She laced her fingers into my hair and captured my lips with hers in a passionate embrace._

It was then that the vision ended. I felt a twinge in my chest at the thought of kissing my sweet Bella, of wrapping her in my arms to never let her go. When we got far enough from the house that I couldn't hear any of the others I turned to Alice to speak.

"Have you seen anything else, Alice?" I asked concerned.

"That is all I have seen so far of your relationship together, but I don't need Jasper's power to tell you that the love between you two is far stronger then that of most. She will absolutely worship you and you, her. You will complete each other, Edward," she responded with certainty in her voice.

"How am I supposed to control myself with her? She is human, Alice! I could very easily kill her if I venture into a relationship with her." I practically shouted in anger.

"You have the most control out of any of us other then Carlisle. I believe you have the strength to handle this, but that is something you will have to determine for yourself. Know this though. The first steps for my vision have already been completed and if you deny this relationship, like I know you are thinking of doing, it will end badly for the both of you," she explained in a soft voice as she showed me another vision.

_Bella was dead…her lifeless body covered in blood. Everything around her was on fire and thick purple smoke clouded the air. I could hear screaming from every direction, but all I could focus on was Bella. I crouched before her to cradle her to me. I was so distracted by the carnage and the death of my Bella that I didn't see it coming. A vampire caught my moment of weakness and wrenched my head from my body and I collapsed to the ground still gripping on to my beloved._

I shook the vision from my head and knelt to the ground. My hands sank into the Earth as I took unneeded breaths to steady myself. Alice came and placed her hands on my shoulders in a sign of comfort before leaving to give me some space.

I sat completely still for a while running over different scenarios in my head to come to the best possible conclusion. I decided that I would just let fate run its course. She's all I wanted now and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from her. If she wanted me, she could have me, all of me, because if I was being honest with myself she already did.

Finally, I pulled myself up off the ground and started to run. I knew where I wanted to go and arrived there in just a few minutes. The light from Bella's room shone brightly in the darkness. I nestled down below her window and listened as she shuffled about. After the light turned off, I waited patiently for her to fall asleep. Earlier I thought of something that might help me control the blood lust and anything that might help was worth trying.

When her breathing evened out, I climbed the tree outside her window. I opened the window quietly as to not wake her up and took a deep breath of the night air before holding my breath. After climbing into her room I stood at the edge of my love's bed and watched her sleep for a few moments before heading to her dresser. I removed a simple black long sleeve shirt from the far back of the middle drawer and closed it. Can't say that I didn't think of taking a pair of underwear as well, but that just didn't feel right. Maybe next time I thought to myself as I chuckled internally.

I walked back towards the window to leave when I heard her mumble and paused where I was standing. Her heart beat and breathing were still steady so I knew she had not woken up, but the words that she spoke made me wish so much that she had.

"Edward…please stay with me…I need you."

I was caught off guard by the sound of my name as it rolled off her beautiful lips. My body tensed as an overwhelming feeling of love shot through me. Could she really be dreaming of me? I thought about that briefly before I heard her say something else.

"Vampire…"

My mouth dropped open in shock and I sucked in a surprised breath. I quickly jumped out of the window before her scent could affect me. A list of questions began to roll around in my head. Did she know what I was? How did she figure it out? What if she doesn't want me now? Huddled up on the ground, I placed her shirt on my lap. I stayed there for a while listening in to see if any other thoughts would voice themselves in the night, but they didn't. During that time, I tried to think of a way to prove myself to her. Maybe if I convinced her of how I felt she would give me a chance to explain. I breathed in the scent from her shirt, which caused my throat to burn intensely, but if I became accustomed to it then that gave me a better chance of making this work.

Dawn was approaching as I came closer to the house. Esme and Carlisle weren't home, which meant they were probably out hunting while everyone else seemed to be occupied with other, more sexual activities. I groaned and decided that it might be nice to go for a drive since I had to go to Port Angeles anyway. Besides, I had been neglecting my Austen Martin lately. Even though I loved driving it we couldn't risk drawing unneeded attention to ourselves by driving flashy cars around town.

After climbing in, I threw Bella's stolen shirt in the back seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life as a smile found its way to my lips. I listened to Debussy as I drove out of Forks, headed for Port Angeles. If I wanted to put my newly thought up plan into action, I needed one thing. Bella's scent permeated the car and I kept the windows up to bask in her strawberry, lilac essence. My throat still burned from the smell, but it was slowly getting better the more I exposed myself to it.

I arrived just as the music store was opening for the day. Towards the back, I found what I was looking for and picked it up. It was a beautiful acoustic guitar. Of course, I already had a piano, but I needed something a little more portable for the plan I had conjured up. I had learned to play guitar in the 60's, the one I bought back then was destroyed in the mid 70's. Emmett thought it was awesome when he smashed it on the ground after an enthusiastic evening at a Kiss concert. I didn't bother to buy another one after that because although I had enjoyed playing it I liked my piano much better.

After purchasing the guitar I headed back towards Forks. When I got home, I was thrilled to discover that my brothers and sisters had concluded their extracurricular activities. I decided to put Bella's shirt in my Volvo so I wouldn't have to answer to my family about how and why I had it.

As I walked up the stairs with guitar case in hand, I heard Alice's thoughts

_Glad he left it in the car, Rosalie would have thrown a fit. I hope he doesn't get upset. It's perfect. I know she'll love it._

"Alice, what did you do?" I called out to her in a worried tone.

There was no answer, but it didn't take long to discover what she was thinking about. I opened the door to my room to find a king sized iron bed with dark blue linens in the left hand corner of my room. I chuckled inwardly and smiled as I heard Alice's thoughts.

_Glad to see you like it big brother. Hope you enjoy it as much as she will. You're Welcome!_

I sat down on the large bed resting my back against the headboard with my guitar in hand. I wasn't surprised when I heard a knock on my door. Of Course, it was Alice and by the sound of her thoughts, she might come in handy with the execution of my plan.

"Come on in, Alice," I called as she bounded through the door with a huge smile on her face.

"I am so happy for you!" She exclaimed as she captured me in a hug that would surely crush me if I were human.

My lips curved into a smile at the excitement that was radiating off of her, but I quickly became aware of her thoughts and my mood turned sour. She knew I didn't want Rosalie to find out about Bella yet so she made sure to keep the rest of our conversation private.

_Now that you have the bed you are only missing one thing, the beautiful girl who is meant to fill it and your heart. I just hope that everything turns out as it is supposed to. I know you're worried about what is going on. In answer to the question you're dying to ask, yes it seems she knows what we are. She befriended Jacob Black, one of the Quileute boys, who told her some tribe legends. He has not begun his transformation yet and so he didn't have a clue that he was telling her anything more then a scary story._

_After meeting you yesterday, she did some research and is convinced that what she heard from Jacob is true. She isn't completely positive yet how she feels about it though. The visions are still changing between the two I showed you, but the second she makes a decision, I will let you know. Just don't worry about it big brother. You two belong together. She will choose you, it is destiny._

I let out a deep sigh of concern at the fact that Bella was still unsure, but tried to take in my sister's words of comfort.

"By the way, I have already seen what you need me to do and I will have it all set up for you," she said aloud. She thought the rest of what she wanted to say to keep it private.

_You just get her there and leave the rest up to me._

With that thought she gave me a wink and left the room.

I wanted to take Bella to the meadow. That would be the most difficult part of my plan. Especially since I was not sure if she would feel safe being alone with me. I spent an hour or so playing the guitar I had purchased, testing out different songs until I found the perfect one. If Bella were to say yes tomorrow would be the big day. My sister was right we belong together and I was determined to prove that to my sweet Bella, my love, my destiny.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**BPOV**

After driving home, I went upstairs to my room. It looked a lot better now that I had unpacked. A few paintings of my mom's were hung up on the wall, which brought some much needed color to the room. The laptop my parents had bought me last year was sitting on my desk. I sat down and booted it up.

I spent hours on my computer researching the Quileute legends. By the time I was done I was positive that the Cullens were exactly what I thought they were… vampires. But does it matter? Carlisle had sewn me up without as much as a flinch at the sight of my blood. Esme had made me breakfast and treated me with such motherly kindness. Then there was Edward. I had never felt more complete then when his hand was attached to mine. I couldn't imagine never having that feeling again.

I paced for a while trying to contemplate what I would do at this point. Eventually I turned off my light and curled into my comforter.

_I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff over looking the ocean. I sat and watched the waves as they crashed into the rock face beneath me. The sun was perched high above and the heat was sweltering. I briefly thought of jumping in until I heard a noise behind me._

" _Edward?" I called out his name, I don't exactly know why, but I did. When I didn't hear anything back I stood up to walk away. I had just reached the tree line when I felt a rush of cold air. I looked around me and there, leaning against a tree, I saw him. He was captivatingly radiant. His bronze hair swayed in the breeze and his stunning smile made my heart pound._

_A rustling noise startled me and I jumped. Just as quickly as he had appeared he was gone. I felt a crushing pain in my heart as I called out to him._

" _Edward…please stay with me…I need you," I whispered into the breeze. I felt a cool hand rest on my shoulder as the electricity from his touch surged through me. I could feel his icy breath on my neck as he whispered into my ear._

" _Bella, this isn't safe…Don't you know what I am?"_

_I nodded my head in response as his hand grew tense on my shoulder. After I turned to face him I looked into his golden eyes and leaned forward to rest my arms on his shoulders. I twirled my fingers in his hair while his body stiffened. Slowly, I inched my lips closer to his. Gripping onto his hair tightly with my hands I pressed my warm lips against his icy ones. I pulled away and leaned in to whisper in his ear._

" _Vampire…"_

_It was at that moment that I felt his icy breath on my neck again as he placed one gentle kiss below my ear._

I woke up late the next morning. It was wonderful to sleep in for once. After grabbing a shower and a quick breakfast I spent the day doing homework and laundry. About an hour after I got up Angela called to tell me about her date with Ben the night before. We talked for a while and I told her about my run in with Edward at the hospital, being careful not to go into too much detail.

After I got off the phone with her I thought a lot about the dream I had last night and Edward. Once I finished the laundry I went back upstairs to my room. The window was open. That's weird because it hadn't been opened since I got here. I walked over and shut the window and turned to find a single red rose on my bed along with a note. I was startled, but the second I opened the note it became clear who wrote it and my heart fluttered.

_Bella,_

_I can't stay away from you. This connection we have is just too strong to ignore. I will not lie to you, what you've heard is true, but if you give me a chance to explain you won't regret it. Let me take you somewhere tomorrow night. Take some time to think about it and let me know what you decide._

_All My Love,_

_Edward_

I was captivated by the simple four letter word, love. The second I read that word I knew that was what this was and I couldn't have said no even if I wanted to. I took a deep breath from the rose as I lay back on my bed. After rereading the note 3 or 4 times I tucked it away in my night stand and set the rose on top next to the picture of my parents.

By the time Charlie walked through the door the chicken I had started cooking was done.

"Hey Bells, it smells good in here!" He exclaimed as he sat down at the kitchen table. I brought him a plate and sat down across from him with my own.

I knew that I had to ask Charlie about going out tomorrow. If he said no I probably would just sneak out and do it anyway though.

"Hey Charlie, I was wondering if it would be okay if I went out tomorrow night, with a friend. I know it's a school night, but I will be sure to be back by 10," I asked as I picked at my mashed potatoes.

"Hmm… I don't know Bells. You have your first therapy appointment tomorrow. Are you sure you will be up for it? And who's this friend, some girl you met at school?" He asked as he looked up at me from his dinner.

Great, he assumed it's a girl. Well, might as well just come clean and tell him the truth.

"I am actually feeling a lot better. If it wasn't required I don't even think I would need to go. And it's actually a guy… Edward Cullen. I don't know if you know him, but he is Dr. Carlisle's son," I stated and I couldn't help the blush that radiated to my cheeks at the mention of his name.

Charlie took a deep breath before he answered.

"The Cullens seem like nice enough people. Alright Bells you can go, but make sure your back by 10 and be careful."

He stood and after rinsing off his plate he went into the living room to watch the game. I ran upstairs to call Angela. I really needed her help picking out something to wear. My window was open again. As I walked over to shut it I noticed out of the corner of my eye something new on my bed.

There was a beautiful halter dress in deep blue with matching 3 inch high heels lying on my comforter along with a note. I opened it, expecting it to be from Edward, but was surprised to find it was from somebody else.

_Bella,_

_Sorry we didn't get the opportunity to meet properly. Edward told me about your date and I had a feeling you would have a hard time finding something to wear. I love clothes and shopping so I took the liberty of getting you this. The forecast says it's going to be chilly tomorrow night so I suggest you wear the white pull over sweater that's hanging in your closet. Enjoy your evening tomorrow. I can't wait to meet you in person._

_Love Always,_

_Alice Cullen_

I chuckled at the fact that a girl I didn't even know was buying me clothes and leaving them in my room. Wait, how did she know I had decided to go? I shrugged the thought off. It's probably some vampire thing. The name Alice sounded so familiar, but I just couldn't figure out why. I hung the dress in the closet and placed the shoes in there as well. I was so excited for tomorrow that I tossed and turned for a couple of hours before I finally fell asleep.

My alarm went off and I dragged myself out of bed. After taking a warm shower and brushing my hair and teeth I pulled on a dark pair of jeans and my gray sweater, I originally wanted to wear my long sleeve black shirt, but I couldn't seem to find it anywhere. On my way out the door, I threw on my gray jacket and grabbed my backpack. It was foggy that morning and it took me more time than usual to get to school.

I made it to English just as the bell was ringing. Reports on Romeo and Juliet were due today, Mr. Mason offered to give me an extension, but I didn't need it. After turning in our assignments he gave us a rare offer, he allowed us a free day. I always enjoyed free days, as long as you stay in the classroom your free to do whatever you want. You can work on homework for other classes, talk with your neighbor, write, draw, read, sleep, or even just stare into space. I had no friends in this class and nothing to read so I took this opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest.

As I relaxed my head in my arms on the top of my desk I listened to my classmates drone on about there weekend for a few minutes before my thoughts drifted to Edward. I was curious about what he had planned for this evening. I had actually never been on a date. Before I moved here I never even met a boy I wanted to date.

When the bell rang it knocked me out of my semi-conscious haze. Math went by relatively quick and before I knew it I was in Spanish. I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote out a very short note.

_Tonight, I have a date with Edward Cullen!_

I passed it to Angela and watched her eyes light up when she read it. I never knew that one simple sentence could get such a massive reaction. She started writing back frantically and passed the note back to me. I suppressed a laugh as I read what she had written.

_WHAT?! OH MY GOD! You have to tell me everything. Spill, details, I need details!_

I knew I couldn't tell her exactly what had happened so I changed it up a little bit.

_I found a letter in my mailbox with a Rose. It was really simple actually. He just asked if I wanted to go out tonight. I can't believe I am going out with Edward Cullen. He is by far the sexiest man I have ever seen. It's not just about his looks either. I feel this connection with him._

She was practically jumping up and down in her chair with giddiness as she read every word I wrote. I was so amused by her reaction that I didn't even notice that the bell had rung until the rest of the class started to disperse.

Angela grabbed me in a huge unexpected hug the second I stood up and I laughed out loud at her level of excitement. She joined me while we grabbed our things to leave. We were walking out the door still laughing when my eyes came in contact with his. He was waiting just outside of the classroom and when I saw him my heart stopped beating for a brief moment before picking up in speed. A smile lit his perfect face and I felt my knees tremble slightly. He had on dark jeans today and a simple black fitted t-shirt. His outfit reminded me of James Dean and then my thoughts drifted to what he might look like in a leather jacket. I chuckled internally as heat rushed to my face.

Angela seemed aware that I wanted to be alone with Edward and took the opportunity to say goodbye. I waved to her as she walked off without so much as looking in her direction.

"Good morning, Bella. I was just wondering if you wanted to spend your lunch with me today," he said in his wonderfully smooth voice.

I had to take in a few deep breaths before I could respond and even then my words sounded quiet and shaky.

"I'd love to, but I am not really hungry. Could we maybe go somewhere that we can talk?"

"Of course, let me carry that for you," he said as he reached for my bag.

I handed it to him and followed him towards the parking lot. We walked in silence and when we reached his silver Volvo he opened up the door for me and I sat down in the passenger seat. He shut the door behind me and walked to the other side of the car. After he had closed his door he rolled down the windows a little bit before turning to face me.

I found myself captivated by his eyes and had to continually take more deep breaths to keep my heart from pounding out of my chest.

After a few minutes of silence he diverted his eyes from my gaze.

"So, you haven't given me an answer yet. Are you still thinking about it?" He asked in a strained voice as he stared down at his hands

For a second I was confused by what he was asking, but then I realized that I still hadn't confirmed with him that I wanted to go out with him tonight. Without blinking or even thinking about what I was saying I simply blurted it out.

"Yes."

I watched his lips take on a slight frown as he spoke and as he did I realized that he thought I meant that I was still thinking about it.

"Oh, well if you don't want to go…"

I cut him off there.

"No, Edward. I didn't mean it like that… When I'm nervous I have a tendency to just blurt things out. What I meant by yes was yes I would love to go out with you," I said in a blur.

I could feel the heat radiating off my face and was sure that I must be bright red by now. I started fidgeting with a string on my sweater as I stared off into the woods. The embarrassment must practically be dripping off of me.

"Bella, look at me," Edward said in a comforting voice that warmed my heart. I couldn't deny him anything when he spoke to me like that.

When my eyes met his face I saw a brilliant smile there.

"I have never been happier then I am right now," he said as he reached out and grabbed my left hand, interlacing our fingers together.

My lips curved up into a grin at his words and my body immediately reacted to his touch. I could feel the sparks as the energy circulated between us once again and I never wanted to let go.

"So, you probably have some questions, as do I. We could just take turns, if you would like. I'll tell you anything you want to know with 100 percent honesty. Although I don't think I could lie to you even if I tried. Would you like to go first?" He asked as he ran his thumb along the back of my hand.

"Sure. Well, I guess I will start with an easy one. How old are you _really_?" I asked in a light and playful voice.

"I was born in Chicago in 1901 and was dying from Spanish Influenza in 1918 when Carlisle changed me. So, technically I am 103." He stated simply without even a flinch.

I sucked in a sharp breath in surprise as he let out a chuckle.

"My turn, how many boys have you dated?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

My cheeks flushed and all I could do was shake my head.

"None," I replied in a chagrined tone. I dropped eye contact and braced myself for the answer to my next question. "How many girls, human or otherwise, have you dated?"

"None," he paused and then continued starring intently into my eyes as he spoke. "I thought I was destined to be alone, but now that I have met you I am really hoping I was wrong."

I felt my lips shoot up in a smile when I heard his answer.

"My turn again, what did you tell Angela about me?" He asked and I saw a twinkle in his eyes.

When I saw the look on his face I had a feeling he knew exactly what I had wrote in that note. I thought briefly about lying to him, but then decided that if he could be honest with me then I could do the same thing for him. Of course that didn't mean I had to give a detailed answer.

"I may have said something about being attracted to you," I stated in a serious tone.

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Suddenly all I could think of was those lips on mine. I leaned closer into him hoping maybe he would take the initiative. He took his right hand and stroked my cheek lightly with his fingertips as I felt myself drown in the deep golden pools of his eyes.

"What if I told you I knew exactly what you said about me and that I feel the exact same way about you," he whispered.

His cool breath blew over my face and I began to feel dizzy. He pulled back from me and I swallowed back my anxiety to ask my next question.

"How do you know what I said to Angela?"

"Well, I read minds, but don't worry you seem to be the one exception to that." He replied with a slightly frustrated look on his face.

It was obvious that he was annoyed by the fact that he couldn't read my mind, but honestly I was ecstatic at that discovery. A relationship between us could never work if he was able to read my thoughts.

I tried to lighten up the questions again to cheer him up.

"How many members of your family are there and do they all have the ability to read minds?"

"That's two questions, but I guess I will let that slide," he answered with a chuckle before continuing.

"There are seven of us, including me. Carlisle changed me first and then his wife Esme. After that he changed Rosalie and Emmett. Finally, Alice and Jasper came to our family. Their changes were already complete when they joined us. Only Alice, Jasper and I have abilities, but theirs are both different than mine. Jasper is an empath, he can feel and influence the emotions of those around him and Alice she can see the future."

So that's how she knew I had already decided to go on the date tonight. That makes sense.

"Wow, so I bet she saw me coming from a mile away." I said with a laugh.

"Yeah, probably," he said with a smile.

"So, we are going to have to get to class soon and I want you to get the chance to ask everything you need to before tonight so for now I am done with my questions, what else do you want to know?" He asked in a nervous tone.

I took a deep breath. I knew what I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure how to. It took a few moments for me to contemplate it before I finally spoke.

"Why do you feed off animals? I mean, I think it's very admirable and I am extremely happy that you do, but I guess I am just curious as to why you and your family chose to deny that part of yourselves."

I noticed a change in his mood again at that moment and hoped I hadn't said anything to upset him.

"There was a time after Carlisle changed me that I chose a different path. I left him for about 5 years and during that time I fed from humans. I focused on criminals, taking their lives made me feel powerful, almost god like. I thought I was ridding the world of evil, I took their lives without a second thought and there was no mercy or regret. After a while I came to realize that I was no better then they were. I returned to Carlisle and he welcomed me back with open arms. Sometimes it can be hard to control the bloodlust, but I don't want to be a monster. The others have their own reasons for living as we do, but that is mine," he explained in an emotionless tone.

"Well, that makes sense," I said simply. "Do you have a hard time controlling yourself with me?" I asked in a quiet voice.

His lips pulled down in a frown as he spoke in a serious tone.

"It has never been harder for me to restrain myself. After I met you at the hospital Carlisle told me that he believes you're my singer, which means that your blood sings to me like no others. It's like you're my own personal brand of heroin. Few vampires ever find their singer… and those who do… let's just say that it has never ended well. It's extremely difficult to deny myself of your blood, but I will not let myself hurt you, Bella. I would kill myself before I caused you any harm."

"I trust you." I said as I placed my hand on his knee.

"How is it that you are you so comfortable with me, with all of this?" He asked in a strained voice.

I squeezed his hand with both of mine and shook my head lightly before I spoke.

"I'm not completely comfortable, but since my parents passed I have been in constant agony. Then I met your parents and you and suddenly everything just felt right, you know? Sure, you and your family are different, but all we have is this one life. Whether it is an immortal one or not doesn't make a difference. We should do whatever we feel is right to make this life count. I guess you could say that I am leaving this up to fate because whatever happens with us is what is meant to happen and I don't want to fight it."

Edward's lips curved into a grin and my face flushed slightly when I realized that I had said us.

"I don't want to fight it either, love," he whispered as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. My heart began to beat frantically and my breathing became uneven. My eyes were locked on his as his lips inched at an excruciatingly slow pace closer to mine. His right hand released mine and moved to my hip as his left hand moved to the back of my neck. My hands found there way to his hair as the electricity in the air pushed me closer and closer to the edge of sanity and reason.

At that moment I needed this more than air, more than water, more than life. His icy lips made contact with mine and my world exploded. I let out a moan against his lips as my fingers weaved into his hair. I felt his hand on my hip grip me tighter almost too tight. I wanted more, no I needed more. I pulled myself onto his lap and we both let out a loud moan at the increased contact. Both of his hands moved to my hips as I ground myself against him. It was then that I noticed his body become tense. He had to use a small amount of force to pry his lips from mine so he could speak.

"Stop!" He shouted in a deeply strained voice. Before I could do anything I found myself in the passenger seat again as Edward paced outside the car. It was disorienting, but I recovered quickly. I got out of the car and walked towards him.

"Stay there, please. I just need a minute okay?" He asked.

I stopped where I was and I could see the pain in his face. When I took a closer look I saw that his eyes were a dark onyx black. From my research I had discovered that vampires eyes turn black when there thirsty and when I saw how dark his eyes were I knew I had gone too far.

"I am so sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to push you. I should have controlled myself better." I said.

His face took on an angry frustrated expression as he spoke.

"This is not your fault, Bella, it's mine. No matter how much I don't want to be I am a monster! You deserve so much better than me."

He can't honestly believe that, I won't let him.

"You're not a monster, Edward! A monster would have killed me just now, but you didn't. I would be afraid of you if you were a monster," I insisted as I walked up to him.

I grabbed his hand and waited for him to look up at me before I continued.

"And I'm not afraid of you. I know what you are and what you are capable of and I am willing to take this relationship, if that's what this is, as slow as you need, but you are what I want and need. Take as much time as you need to figure that out for yourself. I'll be waiting for you whenever you are ready." I said in a sincere and serious voice.

I pressed my lips to his cheek as I heard the bell ring. I then grabbed my bag from the car and headed towards biology.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

As I sat at my lab table and waited for class to start I placed my head in my hands and thought about Edward. I couldn't deny the attraction I had to him, but is the attraction we share strong enough to save him from his self hate. Could he ever feel the same way I do when he thinks so little of himself? If anything I am unworthy of him, he is extraordinary, everything any woman wants and I am simple, average, ordinary…

I heard Mr. Varner enter the room and begin the lecture. I pulled my hands away and found myself seated next to the star of my thoughts. I had no idea that he was my lab partner. What was I supposed to do now? I peered over at him through the corner of my eye and noticed Edward was entirely focused on me. I took a deep breath and forced myself to listen to Mr. Varner. After several minutes of trying to pay attention to the lecture I felt a note slide underneath my notebook. I pulled it out to read what Edward had written.

_You were right. I am sorry I was such an idiot. I'm just scared. Do you forgive me?_

My heart began to pick up in pace. He wanted my forgiveness. Did that mean that he wanted me still? I wrote a quick response and passed the note back to him.

_There's nothing to forgive._

I saw his eyes light up as I shot him a smile. He wrote another note and slid it back to me. I felt my heart race at the thought of what it would say. I was terrified that he had determined I wasn't good enough for him, that he was to afraid to be near me. I was so scared that I almost didn't open it, but I couldn't help myself, I had to read it.

_So, we still on for tonight then?_

I could have very well lost my mind at that moment just from being so deliriously happy. It took all my effort to not jump up and down on the desk. I laughed internally at the thought. My face broke out into a huge smile and all I could do was nod my head in response.

The rest of biology was spent taking notes as I frequently looked over to catch glimpses of the gorgeous man sitting next to me. When class was over I put my books back into my bag and stood to leave. I realized then that Edward was still there waiting for me. He reached for my bag and I handed it to him.

"Let me walk you to your last class," he said as he threw my bag over his shoulder.

I gave him a smile and nodded my head as he reached his hand out to grab mine. We walked out of class hand in hand towards the gym and I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't even realize everyone was staring at us until I heard Angela's voice.

"Oh my god!"

When I snapped out of my haze I caught sight of Angela and practically the entire student body with eyes wide as they starred at Edward's hand in mine. The heat rushed to my face and I felt Edward squeeze my hand lightly as he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"It's alright, love. They are just surprised is all. Come on let's get you to class."

He walked with me the rest of the way. We stopped in front of the locker room door and he handed me my bag.

"Try not to hurt yourself in there I've heard you can be pretty clumsy. I wouldn't want you to miss our date tonight," he said as he brushed my hair out of my eyes with a smirk on his face.

"I will try my best, but I can't guarantee anything," I replied with a laugh.

"I'll be by your house to pick you up at 6. Alright, love?" he asked.

I simply nodded in response and he leaned forward and placed a very chaste kiss on my lips before he left. I can't believe this is happening. This has to be a dream.

Gym went by fast. I ended up hitting Mike Newton in the head with a volley ball by accident, which was actually really funny. We were dismissed to change not long after that. I walked out to my truck and pulled the directions to the therapist out of my bag. I really didn't want to go, but it's not like I had a choice.

Therapy was a lot easier than I expected it to be, the woman who I talked to seemed surprised by my positive demeanor. I spent the hour explaining why I had tried to kill myself, and about the dream that I had that changed my perspective. She was concerned that I was bottling up my emotions. I was truly not the same person I was a week ago and it was extremely difficult to convince her of that. I told her that I still missed my parents very, very much, but had discovered after my dream that I couldn't spend my life focused on those who are no longer living. My parents would have wanted me to live a full and happy life and so that was what I intended to do. She seemed to be understanding after that, but still wanted to meet with me in a few weeks to see how I was doing.

I arrived home with an hour and a half to spare before Edward would pick me up. I didn't know what to expect tonight so I decided to make dinner. After I ate I placed Charlie's plate in the microwave for him to eat when he got home. It took me a half hour just to decide what to do with my hair. Eventually I just put some curls in it and left it down. I was putting on my dress when I heard the front door open.

"Dinner is in the microwave, Charlie!" I shouted down to him.

As I strapped on the heels Alice had left for me I called down to him one more time.

"Edward should be here any minute, I expect you to be nice!"

"Yeah, sure whatever, Bells!" He called back.

I heard a knock on the front door just as I pulled on my white pull over sweater. I took one last look in the mirror before I heard Charlie call for me.

"Hey Bells, Edward's here!"

After taking a deep breath I began to carefully descend down the stairs praying that I wouldn't fall in the heels I was wearing. How did Alice expect me to walk in these all night?

I diverted my gaze from my feet when I reached the bottom of the stairs and caught sight of the most stunning thing I had ever seen. I felt my heart race as my face flushed. Edward just stood on the porch gazing at me with wide eyes. He looked delicious in a pair of black dress pants, a white button up shirt and a black tie.

"Bella… you look absolutely radiant," he said as he reached out for my hand.

I was suddenly immensely grateful that Charlie had gone into the living room after I got downstairs. It would be so embarrassing if he had witnessed the way we had just looked at each other. I grabbed his hand and called out to Charlie.

"We're leaving now."

"Alright, Bells. Just be back by 10." He replied as we walked out the door.

Edward helped me into the car and before I knew it he was in the driver's seat next to me.

"How did you do that?" I exclaimed with my eyes wide with shock.

"Vampires are incredibly fast, love," he replied simply with a chuckle.

He started up the engine and as we drove down the street I felt compelled to ask where we were headed.

"So, where are we going?"

Edward glanced over at me and placed his hand on mine as he spoke.

"You'll see it's a surprise."

After a few minutes we turned down a dirt road and parked at the end of what looked to be a trail. Edward shut off the engine and stepped out of the car. It was already dark out so I couldn't see much of anything. Edward opened my door and helped me up to my feet.

"Umm, I don't think I am wearing the right shoes for this," I said as I pointed to my feet.

He looked at my shoes and then back up at my eyes.

"Hmm I suppose not. Well guess I will just have to carry you then," he said and with that he picked me up bridal style into his arms.

I let out a gasp and he looked at me with a smile as if to say, 'What?' He was so strong, it wasn't like I was fat or anything, but he lifted me like I would lift a feather, with no effort what so ever.

"I am going to run us there. Close your eyes, love," he whispered to me.

I complied and seconds later felt the cold air rush around me. As we ran it almost felt like we were flying. We came to a stop and Edward placed me on my feet. He stood behind me and took in a deep breath before he whispered in my ear.

"You smell so wonderful, like fresh strawberries. Keep your eyes closed. I'll let you know when you can open them."

I could feel the warmth of a fire by my side and the heat warmed my cold body. I waited only a short time before Edward spoke.

"Alright, love. You can open your eyes now."

I sucked in a surprised breath at the setting around me. There was a roaring fire and beside that was a white blanket laid out on the ground, but that wasn't what left me speechless. What took my breath away was the fact that there were red rose petals everywhere, they littered every inch of ground in the small meadow I was standing in and all I could smell was their sweet essence. I looked around for Edward, but couldn't see him and was worried he had left until I heard him call out to me from somewhere in the woods.

"Take a seat by the fire, love. I will be back in a second. You won't even have time to miss me."

I sat down on the blanket by the fire and true to his word before I even could think about him I heard a guitar begin to play. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Edward walking toward me, guitar in hand. He knelt before me and my hands flew up to my mouth as he started to sing the lyrics to me.

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life  
And I thought hey  
You know this could be something  
Cause everything you do  
And words you say  
You know that it all takes my breath away  
And now I'm left with nothing_

All I could focus on was Edward and the wonderful words that were flowing out of him.

_So maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you and  
Maybe two is better than one, but  
There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone_

_Now I'm thinking two is better than one  
_

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes threatening to spill out. _  
_

_I remember every look upon your face  
The way you roll your eyes  
The way you taste  
You make it hard for breathing  
Cause when I close my eyes and drift away  
I think of you and everything's okay  
I'm finally now believing_

I began to break out in goose bumps all over from the passionate feelings that were building up inside of me. _  
_

_That maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you and  
Maybe two is better than one, but _

_There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
Now I'm thinking two is better than one  
_

The intensity he sang with caused the tears to stream down in steady drops that rolled down to drip upon my sweater.

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life  
And I thought hey_

I was in udder shock at the compassion in his voice and found it was getting harder to breath with every word.

_Maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you and  
Maybe two is better than one, but  
There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking_

It suddenly felt like my heart had grown to two times its normal size to accommodate the overwhelming love I had for him.

_True I can't live without you  
Cause baby two is better than one_

_There's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
But I've figured out  
When all is said and done  
Two is better than one  
_

I knew this was different then what others felt, I don't know how, but I did. The love I felt at this moment was never changing. Our souls were meant to be bound together now and always and I knew that I would never want for anyone else.

_Two is better than one._

He finished the song and placed the guitar on the ground beside him and before I could stop myself I had my arms latched around his neck. The clouds had rolled in and as I crashed my lips against his I felt and heard the thunder boom. The rain began to pour down drenching the fire until it was nothing more than steam rising up in the air. My fingers grasped his hair while his right hand found the swell of my back and his left roamed my side and then came down to cradle my ass.

Lightning shot across the sky as our moans vibrated our lips. Edward lifted me in his arms without breaking away and took off into the trees. He ran through the forest and I could feel the wind rush past me as the rain fell on my skin. We reached the car and he pulled me in the backseat shutting the door behind him. The rain was pelting the car, but the muffled noises we were making made it almost inaudible.

His lips left mine and I felt the absence immediately, but before I had time to protest he was kissing me once again. I was laid across the seat as Edward hovered over me and I felt the water from his body dripping onto mine. I should be freezing cold, but I could feel the rumble of the car and the heat radiating through the vents. He moved so fast that I hadn't even realized he had turned on the car.

His lips moved to my neck to allow me to breath. He sucked on the skin just below my ear, covering his teeth with his lips and I couldn't help the words that escaped my mouth as he did.

"Oh God," I whimpered. That must have enticed him because his lips then found their way around my ear lobe which caused me to scream out. "Edward!"

The second his name left my lips I felt him rip my sweater from my body. The sound sent a shot of heat straight to my core, causing my arousal to pool between my legs. He took in a deep breath of my scent and let out a moan before whispering into my ear.

"Bella, oh Bella you smell divine, love."

He created a trail with his tongue from my ear to my collarbone savoring the skin on my now completely exposed neck.

"And so delicious," he groaned. He could have easily sunk his teeth into me, but all I could think about was the part of his body that I really wanted him to sink into me. He propped himself up on his left arm and pulled his face away from my neck. He looked down into my eyes as his right hand moved down my side. I writhed under his touch and just as the tips of his fingers reached the hem of my dress he stopped. Why did he stop? What did I do?

"Is this okay with you, love?" he asked as he tugged on the dress lightly to get his point across. Oh, he wanted my consent.

"Yes, Edward, please," I panted, my voice heavy with lust.

He pulled the dress above my head and starred with wide eyes at the sight of me in just my bra and underwear. Thank god, I had worn the only sexy set I owned. The dark blue strapless lace bra with matching thong set him off in the most wonderful way. The strain on his face was evident and I knew it was not from my blood. At this moment he wanted something completely different. I could see right through his drenched white shirt to the muscles there and let out a small moan at the sight.

"Dear god, you're exquisite," he said with deep admiration before letting out a sexy growl.

The way he growled made my already soaked, aching core drip with desire. I let out a loud groan that surely would have embarrassed me normally as I gripped onto his tie and pulled his mouth back to mine with all the force I was capable of. I kissed him hungrily letting out muffled cries of satisfaction against his lips while he fondled my breasts over my bra.

I ran my tongue against his lips in an effort to deepen the kiss and was surprised when he obliged. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and all I could think of was how amazing he tasted, like peppermint both spicy and sweet. Just a taste, one quick flick of the tongue and I was hooked. I knew I had to be careful around his teeth because I didn't want to tempt him in that way, but I would spend every second of our time together just trying to get another taste of him. He was officially my new favorite dessert.

He allowed me to push him back enough to remove his tie, but I didn't stop there. The heat of need was building inside of me and I had to see more of him, to have his skin against mine. I was able to undo the buttons on his shirt faster than I ever thought possible. I pulled on his sleeves like a hungry animal to expose his perfectly sculpted chest. My eyes roamed his abs, his pecs, and then his magnificent shoulders. Water drops fell from his hair and rolled down his chiseled front and I was completely captivated. I propped myself up onto my elbows and leaned into him.

"Oh, Bella…," he groaned as I ran my tongue from his shoulder to his neck. The divine taste mixed with his words encouraged me to tread deeper into uncharted territory. I slid out from under him and pressed his back against the seat and pulled my leg over to straddle him. Edward growled loud as my drenched lace thong came in contact with the bulge that had grown in his pants and my lips turned up into a devious smile at the power I had over him. I started to pull at his belt when I felt his hand on mine.

"This isn't safe Bella, I could hurt you with even the simplest touch," he panted with a worried look on his face.

I thought about that for a moment before stumbling upon an answer.

"Then keep your hands to yourself…Grip on to the seat and if you need me to stop, I will. I want to make you feel good, let me do this for you," I pleaded and I felt his hand release mine and move to the seat beside him. I unbuckled the belt as he let out a groan.

With the extra boost of confidence I gained from that sound I reached behind me and unclasped my bra. When I pulled it away I felt and saw the button on Edward's pants pop off unable to hold him any longer. I let out a loud moan at the realization that he hadn't worn any boxers. Every inch of him was perfect and he was huge. I honestly didn't know how he would ever fit inside of me when, I refused to think the word if, the time came. I reached between us and the second my fingers wrapped around his shaft he screamed out in pleasure.

"FUCK!"

When I heard such a dirty word come out of Edward's sweet mouth it turned me on in ways I never even knew possible. I felt my arousal begin to spread down my thighs as I started stroking him while gripping his side for support with my other hand. Driven on pure instinct I began to grind my throbbing core against his thighs. The friction against the bundle of nerves there made for the most amazing feeling. My head fell back as I moaned from the sensation. I gazed back down to see Edward's head fall back against the seat with a growl.

His hands dug into the seat ripping holes in the leather interior as he thrust himself in my hand. His eyes were tightly shut and his features were strained in a mixture of pleasure and need which only encouraged me to continue. The scent of our arousal was so strong that you could practically taste it in the air now, the perfect combination of peppermint and strawberries soaked in lust.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I moved along his thighs in rhythm with the hand that gripped onto his rock hard erection. I felt my stomach muscles begin to tighten with the threat of my impending climax.

"Oh, Edward I'm…I'm," I panted as I stroked him faster.

"That's it baby… Don't hold back. Come for me. Show me what I do to you... Shit, I'm so close... so fucking close." he whispered in a husky voice while thrusting faster against my hand.

His dirty words brought me to a peak as I screamed out random thoughts mixed with expletives.

"Shit, fuck, oh god Edward, I'm coming, ugh… EDWARD!"

The coil that had tightened in me released in the most powerful explosive orgasm I had ever felt. I was riding the waves of my orgasm when I heard Edward shout out it in his own release as he grew even harder under my grip.

"Holy Fuck, BELLA!"

His cold fluid flowed out and over my hand while his hands dug holes straight through the seat to the metal underneath. As we were coming down from our high, I panted in exhaustion and satisfaction. I pulled my hand away from him and wiped it off onto his shirt. A blush rushed my cheeks at the thought of what had just occurred and I reached for my dress to cover myself. He looked at me with loving eyes as I felt his hand grab my wrist.

"No, don't love. You're so beautiful…" he whispered as he brought both my hands into his.

I blushed even deeper at the comment and that's when it occurred to me that all my blushing was probably torturing him. I pulled my hands from his grasp and covered my face with them as I blurted out my random thoughts.

"Oh, Edward I am so sorry, I'm probably making this so hard for you. With my blush and scent, I am so, so sorry."

He pried my hands from my face with little effort and gazed once again into my eyes with love and understanding.

"It's alright, Bella. You should put on something dry before you catch a cold, here," he said as he handed me a dry black long sleeve shirt. It looked just like the one I had been missing this morning. I pulled it on before I turned my gaze back to him as he tucked himself back into his pants.

"Um, Edward, where did you get this shirt?" I asked as I saw his body go rigid.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**EPOV**

_Previously: "It's alright, Bella. You should put on something dry before you catch a cold, here," he said as he handed me a dry black long sleeve shirt. It looked just like the one I had been missing this morning. I pulled it on before I turned my gaze back to him as he tucked himself back into his pants._

" _Um, Edward, where did you get this shirt?" I asked as I saw his body go rigid._

What was I supposed to tell her? Oh, yeah I snuck into your room the night we met and watched you sleep before stealing your shirt to get used to your scent, cause that didn't sound stalker like and creepy or anything. I really didn't want to lie to my sweet Bella, but I definitely shouldn't tell her that, so I decided a half truth would work much better.

"While you were out earlier today, I kind of snuck in through your window and took it from your drawer," I said nervously as I ran a hand through my hair. "I was hoping it would help me become more accustomed to your scent."

I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't completely believe my story, but she just shrugged in response and rested her head on my shoulder. It seemed she didn't wish to ruin the moment and neither did I. What had just happened was the most amazing experience of my life and all I wanted to do now was wrap this beautiful woman in my arms and never let go.

I wrapped my arms around her and ran soothing circles along her back as I took in her throat burning strawberry and lilac scent. She smelled so wonderful that I couldn't deny myself from breathing it in and although the burn was still strong it was no longer excruciating. The light rain was falling against the car, but all my focus was on our scents that had mingled together and were still lingering in the air. I felt intoxicated, completely high on Bella and as I stroked my love's hair I could hear her breathing even out and her heart rate slow, she had fallen asleep.

I smiled to myself while I gazed at the sleeping angel in my arms, silly human girl. Silently, I thanked whatever god, deity, or shift in the universe which allowed me not to hurt her. Part of me knew it was because of the wonderful creature in my lap. She knew just what to do when I had panicked. Her warmth was overwhelming and I wanted to hold her close to me as long as time would allow. I knew then why Carlisle had changed me, why I had been alone for the last century it all came down to this woman. Fate had brought me to her, but she was the one keeping me here now, unable to move or speak. She was the only thing holding me to life now and I would give her anything, be anything she needed, she was my life now.

The feelings in me at that moment were all consuming and I would have sat there all night if not for the sudden vibration of my cell phone on the center console. I moved Bella off of my lap and placed her on the seat without waking her and reached for the phone. It was a text message from Alice.

_Sorry, but it's time to take the human home, Eddie. Charlie's already in bed, but he has his deputy patrolling the area tonight. There are dry clothes in the trunk for both of you.-Ali_

I chuckled lightly at the message and was back with the clothes out of the trunk in less then a second. It made me feel terrible to have to wake the sleeping angel before me, but I knew I had to so I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips against hers. The electricity the kiss generated was more then enough to wake sleeping beauty just like the fairy tale. I watched as her eyes fluttered open and a smile lit her perfect face once more.

"Sorry to wake you love, but we only have 20 minutes until you have to be home. Alice left you some dry clothes to change into." I whispered to her as I handed her the clothes. Bella reached for them as she replied.

"It's alright. You should have woken me up earlier. I feel terrible for falling asleep on you like that."

"I quite enjoy watching you sleep actually, it's fascinating. That's one of the things I really miss about being human," I responded as I removed my wet pants and pulled on the dry jeans and gray shirt Alice had left for me. I heard a gasp and turned to find Bella starring at me with glazed eyes. I could tell from the direction of her gaze that the gasp that escaped her lips was definitely not from what I had said. No, she had caught sight of me in all my glory once again and I was not ashamed at the smug smile that crossed my face. I chuckled and watched as her face flushed with embarrassment before taking on a shocked expression.

"You don't sleep!" Bella exclaimed as she was pulling on her jeans.

"Nope," I said making a popping sound on the p.

She appeared thoughtful as she removed the shirt she had been wearing to put on the lacey black bra Alice had brought for her. I groaned out loud at the brief sight of her luscious breasts. I wanted so much to just ravish her, to make her mine. She was the one with the smug smile now, but I was not bothered in the least to have her know how much she turned me on. I was confused when she threw the shirt she had been wearing at me before buttoning up a green blouse. She probably noticed my confusion because she took the opportunity to explain her reasoning.

"You were right, if we are going to be together more now, I guess it is a good idea that you get used to my scent," she stated with a smile and all I could do was smile back.

What did I do to deserve someone like her? I needed to claim her as my own. I couldn't let her leave this car without her first agreeing to be my girlfriend. Of course I wanted her to be so much more, my mate, my wife, but girlfriend would have to do…for now.

I climbed into the driver's seat and helped her to pull herself into the passenger seat. As I drove back down the dirt road I thought about how to ask the gorgeous creature next to me to be mine. We came to a stop in front of her house and I turned to face her grabbing both of her hands in mine while starring into her warm brown eyes.

"I hate to say goodbye. I know it is just for a night, but I would feel so much better if you agreed to something before I go." I said nervously as I rubbed the back of her hands with my thumbs.

She nodded so I continued on as she gazed at me with wide eyes of curiosity.

"I want you to know that I am yours as long as you will have me and I am hoping you will agree to be mine as well," I stated simply. Her eyes lit up at my words before she responded to me in a shaky and nervous tone.

"So, you want us to be together, me and you? Like a couple?"

I laughed lightly at her nervous chatter and smiled brightly at her as I nodded my head in response. She contemplated the thought very briefly and her face grew pink with her blush when she spoke again.

"I would love that, Edward."

Happiness practically radiated off of me when a smile graced her perfect lips and I could no longer deny myself of her sweet kiss. I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine and poured all the passion I could manage into kissing her. The electricity surged through my body warming my cold heart. The energy between us was so hard to detach and it was painful when I finally had to pull away to allow her to leave. She seemed just as disappointed as I was as she opened the door and stepped out. I had no idea how I would survive until school without her.

"Bella," I called out and she turned around in a flash still holding the door open.

"Would you mind if I gave you a ride tomorrow?" I asked as I prayed silently to myself that she would say yes.

"Sure, that would be great… Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning than," she responded and then hesitated for a moment in the doorway. I could tell she didn't want me to leave and I really didn't want to go, but I needed to speak with my family and she really needed to get some sleep.

"Sweet dreams, love," I said with a smile and she smiled back before shutting the door and walking towards the house. I waited until she was inside to pull away from the house and reach for my cell phone. I was elated, completely overjoyed and it was time to let everyone in on it. The phone didn't even have time to ring before I heard Alice's screech on the other end.

"I'm so happy for you! I'll get everyone downstairs for your announcement. The only one's that know are Carlisle, Esme and me, so just be prepared for Rosalie's dramatic over reaction," she stated and then the line went dead.

I swear Alice will be the only vampire in existence to die from a heart attack with all that excitement she has in her. I laughed at the thought as I drove down the long winding road to the house. Rose would get over it soon enough, if she doesn't like it she can leave. At least then I wouldn't have to deal with her annoying whining all the time. I love Rose, but we just don't get along. The only thing we ever agree on is cars. She loves nice cars as much as I do, but other than that we really have nothing in common.

I parked the Volvo and grabbed the wet clothes from the backseat as well as the shirt Bella had allowed me to keep. I walked through the door and into the living room where everyone was waiting. Of course Alice ran straight up to me and captured me in a huge hug while jumping up and down as everyone, but Carlisle and Esme just starred with equally confused thoughts.

_What is up with Ali? Holy crap, what is with all the love and lust radiating off of you, Edward?_

I wasn't surprised that Jasper was concentrated on the feelings that I was emanating, after all he had never felt these feelings from me.

_Woah! Eddie, you smell like human…and sex! No way, Bro!_

I laughed at Emmett's thoughts. His mind of course would only think of one thing, sex!

Finally, Rose's thoughts came through and I could tell she definitely wasn't going to take this well.

_What the fuck is going on, Edward? You absolutely reek of human!_

I sat on the white lounge chair and faced the couch where everyone else was seated. Alice sat on Jasper's lap who was next to Carlisle and Esme, who were holding hands and thinking of nothing, but wonderful thoughts about Bella and I. Lastly, Rose was seated on Emmett's lap on the end obviously pissed off already. I set the clothes beside me and rested my hands in my lap.

"Well, Alice gathered you all here because I have something to tell you," I stated simply before continuing in a serious tone starring directly at Rose. "First off let me say that I care deeply what all of you think of me, but what you think will not change my mind. This is not a debate and I will not allow any of you to make decisions for me that are mine to make." I looked around to all of them now back to my previously happy mood.

"With that said I am now going to tell you where I have been the last few hours. I have been on a date with a girl named Bella Swan. I'm sure you have all noticed from her scent on me that she is human. Alice had a vision of me mated to this girl and I have never been one to bet against Alice. I have told her what we are and although I'm not positive of how this will all work out after spending the evening with her I am positive that I'm unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Bella Swan," I admitted as a beaming smile lit my face. I had never been surer of anything in my entire existence and I was glad to finally say it out loud.

I was pulled quickly out of my reverie when Rose stood and began shouting at the top of her lungs.

"How could you put us all in danger like this? Do you even understand what you have done?"

I growled menacingly and was about to lay in to her when Emmett stood and placed his hand on Rose's waist and spoke softly to her.

"Calm down, Rosie. Eddie deserves to be happy just like the rest of us."

_I'm real happy for you and don't worry about her, bro. You know how she is. I'll take her hunting and let her cool off a bit._

"Come on, Baby. Let's go hunt," Emmett said as he moved his hand to the swell of her back and guided her towards the door

Emmett's thoughts were comforting, but Rose's thoughts were anything, but kind as they walked out the front door.

_You selfish son of a bitch! You're going to ruin that girl's life. I won't let you take her life from her, Edward! This never would have happened if you had just given Tanya a chance. She is who you belong with not this human girl._

I can't say her thoughts didn't hurt, but I wouldn't let her destroy this for me. The door shut and I looked around to the remaining faces in the room each one matching the thoughts to the expression on their face.

Jasper was pleased and hopeful that I had finally found my mate. Alice was giddy with excitement at the idea of meeting Bella face to face. Carlisle was thoughtful and wondering how I had controlled myself during my evening with her and Esme was thrilled at the prospect of having someone to cook for and nurture.

I exchanged hugs with each of them before retreating up to my bedroom to place the wet clothes into the hamper. When I opened the door I was thrilled to find that Alice had retrieved my guitar for me. I had completely forgotten that I'd left it in the woods. She does so much for me. I really should get her something to thank her for it. There wasn't even time to contemplate it before I heard Alice's thoughts

_You know I've had my eye on this really hot Porsche, big brother. Yellow, please!_

She then proceeded to show me a picture of the yellow Porsche in her mind and all I could do was laugh at her child like enthusiasm. I lay back on the bed with Bella's shirt in hand and breathed in her scent. It made my throat itch and my mouth fill with venom, but it was getting easier. I felt so lonely without her around. She was all I could think about her smile, her taste, her blush, the way she called out my name in the throws of passion.

Although I tried not to, I still found myself thinking about what Rose had said. She had no reason to feel she had to stop me from changing Bella because I knew that I wouldn't be capable of taking her life from her. If we are meant to be together then so be it, but I fully intended on keeping her human.

She deserved to have children, to grow old with someone and I would never be able to give her these things. When vampires fall in love it is a permanent change. I would never love another, but human's feelings do change. I was certain Bella would grow tired of me and that eventually she would want for more than I'd be able to provide and even though it would crush me I would let her go.

It pained me to think of any existence without her in it, but I couldn't subject Bella to this life. I could not and would not take away her soul. Alice must have figured out what I had decided and took the opportunity to try and convince me otherwise because a vision shot into my mind just then, but so much stronger then anything she had ever shown me before. Here power must be getting stronger because not only was it much clearer but suddenly my feelings were not those of the present, but of the future I was being shown.

_Bella's arms were wrapped around my neck at what appeared to be a wedding._

I wasn't positive whose wedding it was, but I think it might have been mine. My thoughts were disorienting like I was in some sort of a trance.

_She kissed me furiously with power far beyond my own. I was confused momentarily before kissing her back with all the passion I could muster._

I felt relieved, deeply in love with Bella when her lips were against mine no longer warm and soft.

_After she pulled away I saw her eyes, bright crimson red, starring back at me._

The vision ended and I could almost feel a switch flip making my feelings once again my own. My eyelids flew open as I jumped out of the bed and screamed out to Alice, to the world, to anyone that was listening.

"I will not take her life away!"

I starred out the large glass window that made up the entire south side of our home to allow myself to calm down. It was then that I caught a glimpse of something, or someone. I saw a pair of bright violet eyes in the distance before whatever it was disappeared so fast that not even my powerful vampire eyes could see. I called out to everyone and they were standing by my side instantaneously, even Rose and Emmett who had just returned from their hunt.

Their thoughts were all filled with concern and curiosity at my shocked expression, but after a few moments Carlisle finally spoke.

"What happened, Edward? Are you alright?"

"I was thinking about what Rose had said and how I don't want to change Bella. Then Alice showed me a vision of Bella as one of us. I jumped off the bed and looked out the window and that's when I saw these pair of violet eyes starring back at me. There were no thoughts generating from it so it could have been an animal, but I have a feeling it wasn't," I replied in a nervous voice.

My family became tense and all their thoughts were blank from shock except for Alice. Alice's thoughts frightened me even more than the scared look on her normally serene face and when she said those thoughts out loud I no longer was the only one who was frightened.

"What are you talking about, Edward? I didn't show you anything."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**EPOV**

We searched the forest all night, but found nothing. Whatever had been out there had no scent which made it impossible to track. We had to return home so that I could pick up Bella and make it to school on time. All of us would have to be on guard for the time being. I could tell from the thoughts of my brothers and sisters that they were just as concerned about this as I was, especially Alice. She had never seen anything about what happened before or after. For the first time we were walking blind, without any idea of what was going to happen.

Even more then for myself I was frightened for Bella. How do I protect her from something if I don't even know what it is? She needed to be around me as much as possible. I couldn't allow any harm to come to her, I would never forgive myself. I pulled up in front of her house. Everyone else had taken Rosalie's car to school to give Bella and me some privacy.

It was foggy out, but I was only parked for about 30 seconds before Bella emerged from the front door. She was gorgeous and I was so captivated by her that I forgot all about what had happened last night. She had the best effect on me, warming my fear with just her simple presence. I stepped out of the car and held the passenger door open for her.

"Hey, love. I missed you," I said as I leaned into her and brushed a stray hair behind her ear with a crooked smile on my face.

She flushed the most intoxicating shade of pink when my fingers touched her skin and I couldn't deny the overwhelming need to caress her sweet cheeks. I rested my hand lightly against her warm skin and absorbed the wonderful heat and energy she provided me with. Her breath was hot against my face and her scent made my throat itch, but I would happily live with the pain as long as she was with me. I pressed my lips to hers applying the gentlest pressure. She immediately reacted by dropping her bag and entangling her fingers into my hair. The world around me drifted away because suddenly nothing else mattered, once again I felt complete, wrapped in my love's warm embrace. After several minutes I finally detached my lips from hers with a groan.

"I could get used to that," she said with a giggle and I determined that was by far the most wonderful sound in the world. Well, except for the sounds she made last night. I would hear those soon enough if I had anything to do with it.

"Me too, but we should really get going. We don't want to be late," I replied as I helped her into the car and handed her bag to her.

I closed the door and was in the driver's seat in less time then it took for her to buckle her seat belt. We drove off toward the school and I finally focused back on my original task.

"There's something I need to talk to you about, but I don't want to frighten you," I said as I grasped her hand in mine.

"Edward, as you can see I don't frighten easily. You can tell me anything I trust you," she responded while rubbing her other hand across my cold hard skin.

I chuckled lightly at just how true that statement was. Any other person would be running for the hills by now, but not my Bella. I still didn't want to scare her with the vision though so I decided I would leave that part out. I took a glimpse of the angel at my side who smiled brightly back at me before speaking again.

"Well, I saw something or someone last night in the area around my house. I'm not quite sure what it was, but we are all confident it wasn't one of our kind and it definitely wasn't human. My family and I think it has an ability to see the future though, kind of like Alice's, because right before I saw it I was shown a vision of you… Anyways, I was looking out the window afterwards and that's when I saw it, but all that was visible to me was its eyes, they were this bright violet color."

Bella gasped which caused me to stop the conversation abruptly. I turned into the school parking lot and parked in my usual spot before rotating to face her. Her face was blank and that only made me feel more horrible for bringing up the subject. How could I be so stupid? Now she was scared and it was my fault entirely. I pulled her into my arms and stroked her hair softly as I whispered to her in an effort to comfort her.

"Don't worry, love. I will keep you safe. You're everything to me and I would never let anything happen to you. I'm so sorry I scared you."

"Edward, I'm not really scared. More shocked," she stated as she shook her head and leaned back enough to look into my eyes.

I was perplexed by how calm she was and wanted nothing more than to be able to read her mind and know what she was thinking. It was quiet for a few moments before curiosity overcame me and I finally had to ask.

"What are you thinking about, Bella?"

"I've seen the creature that you saw last night, but just like you all I saw was its eyes, bright violet eyes. Last week when I was leaving English I looked out the window and there they were. I collapsed and hit my head, but right before I did I had a memory of my parents. It was so real, almost like I was living it all over again. I woke up in the hospital hours later and I had completely forgotten about it until now," she replied.

I sat stunned for a brief moment before composing myself to speak.

"We will have to tell my family about this later, after school, but for the time being just keep an eye out and let me know if you see anything suspicious. Alright, love?"

"Of course, Edward," she answered in a shaky voice.

"We should really get to class now. The bell is going to ring in 10 minutes," I said and with that I opened the door and walked to her side.

I bent down to grab her backpack when my hand grazed her thigh. There is nothing I wanted more then to slide my fingers up her thigh to her waiting center and have her wiggle underneath my touch. I let out a groan at the thought and attempted to try and bring down the now prominent erection in my pants. Bella giggled, but I could tell from the scent in the air that she was just as aroused as I was and that certainly wasn't helping. So, I started thinking about the only thing that might help, Emmett naked. It definitely wasn't a sight I liked to see, but I was finally able to get rid of the tent I had pitched and for that I was grateful.

"Time for class, my Bella," I stated with a crooked smile on my face as I grabbed her hand and helped her out of the car.

"I'd follow you anywhere, my Edward," she responded with a beaming smile of her own.

Pink flushed her cheeks and I realized that she was as possessive as I was. School seemed like such a waste at that moment. If I had things my way I would have taken her home already and shown her how possessive I can be. I laughed internally at the thought, it was a ridiculous notion because I knew I wouldn't be able to do that, well not without hurting her and I certainly wouldn't do that.

I heard Bella gasp as I shut the car door. I turned quickly and held my arms out protectively in front of her to block her from whatever threat she had caught sight of. I began to scan the thoughts of the people around me, but found nothing of use that was until I heard Alice.

_Oh quit freaking out, Eddie. Bella just recognized me from the hospital. Don't be so paranoid._

I zeroed in on her and sighed in relief. Suddenly Bella ran out from behind me and latched her arms around Alice. Alice hugged her back and smiled a beaming smile over her shoulder. My tense stance relaxed and I came to stand by Alice and Bella.

"We are going to be best friends," Alice said when Bella finally pulled away. I wrapped my arm around her waist pulling her into me.

"We are so much more than that. You are my own personal savior, Alice. You brought Edward to me," Bella replied as a single tear ran down her cheek and she gazed up at me. I wiped the tear away as I stared back into her loving eyes.

"Well you could definitely use a fashion savior, honey. These clothes are dreadful. We need to go shopping this weekend. I know we can have a sleepover. Don't worry I will set it up with Charlie," Alice stated as she walked with us giggling.

_I'm sure you will enjoy the sleepover very much, big brother. I've seen it._

After reading Alice's thoughts I can honestly say I have never been more excited for a sleepover, but before I could see anything of interest my dear sister started singing Barbie Girl in her head. Damn her.

"What have I got myself into, Edward? I hate shopping," She said in a quiet nervous voice as Alice babbled on about all the stores she wanted to take her to on Sunday.

"Welcome to the world of Alice. Just go along with it, love. It's much too difficult to fight her off." I laughed.

The bell rang and Alice split off from us to head to her first class. Bella and I stood in front of her English class and I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before giving her a chaste kiss.

"See you after class, my Bella," I whispered to her.

"I can't wait, my Edward," she replied before turning into the classroom.

I hurried at a human pace to my Math class knowing very well that there would be no hope of being able to concentrate on anything, but Bella. I made it to class and slipped into my seat next to Jasper as the final bell rang. Jasper shared all of his classes with either me or Alice. It was still difficult for him to resist human blood, but with our help he succeeded on a daily basis. It's been nearly 10 years since his last slip up and we were all very proud of the progress he had made. Next year we were even thinking about letting him have some classes on his own.

_Alice was ecstatic to finally meet Bella, Edward. I couldn't hold her back any longer._

I laughed softly while I shook my head in response to his thoughts. I couldn't wait until Saturday and I wondered to myself if she would let me hold her all night while she slept. Nothing could be more wonderful then Bella's soft warm body against mine. As I leaned back in my chair my thoughts began to morph to fantasies.

_Bella lay sleeping in my arms in one of my t-shirts and a pair of simple blue cotton underwear. She started to moan softly in her sleep. I caressed her sides running my hand down to her thigh as she whimpered under my touch. Her breathing started to get heavy so I knew she was awake now._

" _More… Edward, touch me."_

" _Where do you want me to touch you, my Bella?" I whispered softly in her ear and rested my hand on her hip. "Here?" She shook her head and I moved my hand to cradle her ass. "Here?" She shook her head again. "Show me where you want me to touch you."_

_She moved her hand over mine timidly and ran it up her thigh towards her core resting it there. I could feel her arousal that had soaked through her panties and the heat that was radiating from her called out to me. I wanted so much to delve my fingers into her, but she would need to guide me._

" _Show me how to touch you, love," I whispered against her neck. She shivered slightly from my breath and let out a groan. She slipped both of our hands underneath the elastic band of her underwear to rest on her hot, soaking wet mound. I kissed her neck gently urging her on._

" _Fuck, Edward…If you keep doing that…I'm not going to last…," she panted._

" _Oh, you'll last, my Bella because you're not going to come until I tell you to," I replied as she let out a loud moan. "Now, guide my hand. Show me how you like to be touched."_

_She pushed my fingers against her clit and began to rub it roughly as she gasped for air and whimpered._

" _So, you like it rough. I'll have to remember that." I whispered in her ear as she wiggled underneath my hand._

" _Oh god, Edward," she moaned while gliding our fingers down to her entrance and pushing our two middle fingers inside of her._

" _God's not here right now, my Bella, only me. But, I intend to make you feel so good that you're not going to remember your own name," I said as I moved my fingers inside of her. So hot, so wet, so MINE!_

"Mr. Cullen!" Mr. Macy shouted and I quickly snapped out of the trance I had brought myself into. "Thank you so much for joining us, now would you mind coming up to the front and solving this problem for the class."

_Shit, Edward. You were out of it. I don't know what kind of fantasy you were playing out, but all the lust radiating off of you, Man! You made it so that I even have a hard on here._

I heard Jasper's thoughts and could feel that I indeed had a massive problem, so I started thinking of anything to get my erection to subside. Well it worked the first time might as well start with what works, naked Emmett. Seriously not a sight I loved to see, but I could feel it working. Jasper sent me a wave of revulsion which helped some as well. Of course all of this only took a few seconds, but still Mr. Macy was starting to get impatient. Just as I was about to give up and take the humiliation, the bell rang and I breathed a sigh of relief as the class dispersed.

"Guess you're saved by the bell, Mr. Cullen. I expect you to have that problem solved and on my desk tomorrow along with tonight's homework," Mr. Macy stated as my erection finally went away and I stood to leave.

I walked out of class towards Bella's English class followed close behind by Jasper.

_What the hell happened to you? One minute you're completely relaxed the next minute you're sending me more lust than I know what to do with._

"Sorry, Jazz. I guess Bella has me a little distracted," I said with a laugh.

_A little distracted? More like completely smitten, when are you going to tell her how you feel?_

"I don't know. What if she doesn't feel that way about me?" I asked as we turned the corner and I caught sight of her. She smiled at me and my still heart overflowed with love at the small gesture.

_Just tell her, Edward. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I have to get to my next class. See you at lunch._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**EPOV**

Jasper was right I wanted to tell her how I felt about her, but I had something much better planned out then just a simple I love you. At lunch Bella and I sat with my family. Everyone seemed taken with her. Even Rose was somewhat civil after last night's fiasco. We were driving towards my house after school when Bella said something I definitely wasn't expecting.

"Edward, I want you… all of you, it's all I can think about."

She ran her hand up my thigh and I tensed. This can't be happening. I placed my hand on hers to still her movements and parked on the drive.

"I want you too, but not here, not now. I'm still trying to gain some control. I couldn't bear to hurt you, love. I don't even know if I could stop if I did hurt you…" I said in a tense voice as I stroked her hand. She nodded in understanding, but her head fell in disappointment. I placed my hand underneath her chin and tilted her head up so she was once again eye level with me. Her lips were pouted ever so slightly.

"What am I going to do with you, my Bella, the temptress?" I whispered as I blew my breath across her face. I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her pouted lips. Her lips opened and I slipped my tongue into her hot waiting mouth. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to taste her all over, to lick up all the juices she could provide. The kiss grew more heated when she pulled on my hair eliciting a growl that rumbled deep in my chest. I began to run my hand up her side just underneath the hem of her shirt when a scent hit my nose. Wet dog, ugh damn wolves. I pulled my lips away from Bella's with a groan.

"Go inside, love. We have visitors," I said as I opened the door and stepped out.

Just as I closed the door five tan, dark haired individuals emerged from the tree line. Everyone in the family except Carlisle, who was at work, had come out to meet the uninvited guests. Bella had been to slow to move so she was now standing behind Alice who was hell bent on protecting her if things turned ugly.

_Don't worry, brother. I won't let anything happen to her._

Four of the boys came to a stop about 30 yards in front of me the one who appeared to be in charge stood just in front of them. I scanned their thoughts and although I should be concentrating on the leader all I could focus on was the boy just to the right of him.

_I don't know why we don't just rip them apart, filthy bloodsuckers, is that Bella?_

Bella started to walk out from behind Alice as the boy stepped forward talking directly to her.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" He started to shake. Obviously he was a young werewolf with little control. I came to crouch in front of Bella now, determined to protect her.

"No, stay here, Bella. He's not in control." I said as I latched my arms around her.

"Jake?" Bella said with uncertainty as she peered at the boy.

So this was Jacob Black, the one who broke the treaty. I wondered briefly if Bella knew that not only were the legends true about us, but them as well.

"Let her go!" Jake shouted as he began to tremble more.

_What the fuck is she doing here and why the fuck does that leech smell like her?! I swear if those filthy, disgusting leeches do anything to her I will kill every last one of them._

"Jacob, control your self!" The leader shouted at him as he pulled him back. I listened in on the leader's thoughts, if he didn't diffuse the situation things were going to get dangerous fast.

_What the hell is wrong with him? He knows better than to lose control with a human present. We're not here for them, damn it! They're never going to help us if he starts something._

Help them… well that's interesting.

"Bella, love, please tell Jacob that you're here on your on free will, so we can get on to more pressing matters," I said practically growling.

_Did he just call her love?! Are you fucking serious?!_

Bella seemed confused and Jasper's thoughts confirmed that she was.

_I'm trying to calm him down, but he's only getting angrier. Bella's confused, Edward. I don't think she knows what's going on._

So she didn't know what he was, well that's going to make things awkward.

Even though she was confused she complied with my request anyways.

"Jake, calm down. I just came over to spend some time with my boyfriend, chill out."

Shit, although I love the fact that she just called me her boyfriend by the sound of Jacob's thoughts he would not like that she was dating a vampire. This was going to be bad.

_BOYFRIEND?! WHAT THE FUCK!_

Jacob phased and headed straight for me. When our bodies collided it sounded almost as if two large boulders had smacked against each other. I tried to hold him back, although I didn't like the mutt, Bella would not be happy if I killed her friend. The other wolves phased and were able to pull Jacob off of me, but not before he had dug his claws into my side. Son of a bitch that hurts! I looked over at Bella and for a moment she was shocked until her eyes locked on mine.

"Oh my god, Edward, are you okay?" Bella said as she ran over to me. "Just cause you're a werewolf does not mean you can attack my boyfriend, you asshole! What the hell is wrong with you, Jake?" Bella screamed in the direction of the wolves as she ran a hand through my hair. I had to take a few deep breaths before my body healed it self. I could feel the skin and muscles reattaching. After a few seconds though, I was able to stand again. The pack stayed in wolf form because they didn't have any clothes to change in to. I focused in on the leader's thoughts again and was surprised to not only hear him, but also the rest of the pack. There was so much commotion that it was a bit difficult to understand.

_Damn did you see how fast he phased, Jared? That was bitching!_

_Yeah, it was a shitty fight though, Embry. The leech didn't even fight back. By the way you owe me five bucks, Paul, told you he would phase._

_Double or nothing I beat you to Emily's on the way back, Jared._

_You're on, Paul. You must really enjoy giving me all your money._

_She's right what in the hell is wrong with you, Jacob?_

_I'm sorry I just couldn't control it. You know that I'm in love with her, Sam…_

IN LOVE! With my Bella! He's lucky I didn't know about that two minutes ago or I would have ripped his heart out. Bella is MINE! A ferocious growl was growing in my chest, but I quickly brought myself under control. They didn't know I could hear their thoughts. I had used that to my advantage and I would not give them that information now.

_We'll have to give them some time to cool off. We'll come back tonight after she leaves. Let's go guys._

The wolves ran off back into the woods. I wrapped my arm around Bella and turned to look at my family.

"Well, that was fascinating." I said as we walked inside.

Carlisle arrived home from work shortly after the incident and I relayed to my family what I had heard in the wolves thoughts, well everything, but Jacob being in love with my Bella. Rosalie was already fuming, no need to make her hate Bella anymore.

"Bella has something to tell you all as well," I stated as we all sat around the large dining room table. We used it for family meetings since we really had no other use for it.

"Oh, yeah, well, Edward isn't the only one to see the violet eyes. The day I hit my head and came to the hospital I saw those same violet eyes, but before I collapsed I had a vision. Not of the future, but of the past, like a memory. I was young my mom and dad were tucking me into bed. They wrapped me in the afghan my mother had knitted and kissed me goodnight before leaving the room. I sighed in contentment and fell asleep feeling loved and protected," she said as she peered around the table at my family.

"Alright so it has the ability to show both future and past if we are indeed speaking of the same creature. That also means that it wasn't just that you saw the vision in its mind, Edward. It showed you a vision like it did for Bella, interesting. We'll have to discuss this more later." Carlisle stated as he stood to leave. "I need to hunt, would anybody else like to join me?"

They all left to go hunt leaving me some well deserved alone time with Bella.

"Come on, love. I want to show you my room," I said.

I picked her up in my arms as she let out a giggle and rushed us to the third floor. When we reached my door I set her back on her feet holding her steady to ensure she wouldn't fall as I turned the door knob and pushed the door open. We stepped through the frame and I could practically hear the bed calling to me. Bella looked around the room taking in my extensive music collection before coming to sit on the bed and patting the spot next to her.

"Sit with me," she said in the sexy temptress voice she had used earlier before reaching her tongue out and licking her lips with it.

"You have absolutely no preservation for life, my Bella, calling me to the bed with your voice dripping with sex. I am yet a mere immortal and you a goddess, what ever will I do with you?" I asked shaking my head in disapproval, but I could not deny her. It's about time for me to show her what she's gotten herself into. I slowly crept forward until I was resting my hands on either side of her luscious form. A soft moan escaped her lips when I leaned in to her stopping mere inches from where my lips would touch hers. I spoke softly to her letting my breath brush across her lips.

"If I didn't know any better, love I would say you're trying to seduce me."

I moved my right hand to her thigh and rubbed it gently making sure to be careful as not to harm her.

"Such a bad girl you are, my Bella," I said, my voice husky and lustful. I watched her eyes roll back slightly as her breathing hitched. Oh, the things this woman does to me. I could feel the throbbing ache in my jeans and smell the thick scent of arousal in the air.

"Do you know what you do to me, my delicate little vixen?" I asked, leaning into her so my erection pressed against her moist hot center. Bella let out a groan and reached out to place her hand on my belt. I quickly grabbed it and placed it back at her side. "Ah, ah, ah bad girls don't get what they want, sweetie, but don't worry I have plans for you."

I captured her lips with mine catching the gasp that escaped her at my words. She tasted like strawberries on a hot sunny day. I almost expected strawberry juices to run from my chin onto her perky breast and taut nipples. After a few moments I removed my lips from hers and a small pout formed there.

"There's a song I want you to hear, love and I would be honored if you would dance with me," I whispered to her. "I haven't told you how I feel about you yet and I would like to explain why."

She seemed hesitant at first, but then nodded her head. I grabbed her hands with mine and brought her over to the stereo pressing the play button. Pulling her body snug against me I placed my hands on her hips. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her head on my chest. The sun had gone down a few minutes ago so the only thing that lit the room now was the soft glow of the corner lamp. I gently swayed to the music and sang the lyrics as the song played softly in the background.

_Saying I love you  
Is not the words I want to hear from you  
It's not that I want you  
Not to say, but if you only knew  
How easy it would be to show me how you feel  
More than words is all you have to do to make it real  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me  
Cause I'd already know  
_   
_What would you do if my heart was torn in two  
More than words to show you feel  
That your love for me is real  
What would you say if I took those words away  
Then you couldn't make things new  
Just by saying I love you  
_   
_More than words_

_Now I've tried to talk to you and make you understand  
All you have to do is close your eyes  
And just reach out your hands and touch me  
Hold me close don't ever let me go  
More than words is all I ever needed you to show  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me  
Cause I'd already know_

_What would you do if my heart was torn in two  
More than words to show you feel  
That your love for me is real  
What would you say if I took those words away  
Then you couldn't make things new  
Just by saying I love you_

_More than words_

Bella pulled her head off my chest and looked deep into my eyes as the song came to a close. I brushed some hair behind her ear and rested my hand on her cheek as I drowned in the deep chocolate pools of her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but I wasn't concerned about her blood. Because at this very second if my heart could beat it would be just as erratic. This is the first time in my 103 year existence that I would say these 3 precious words and if Bella allowed it I would spend the rest of her life repeating them. I caressed her cheeks gently as I exhaled the breath I had held in anticipation.

"I love you so much more than words, my Bella," I whispered to her before capturing her lips with my own pouring every ounce of passion I could muster into her. Silent tears dripped from Bella's eyes giving her lips a salty tang. This is what I waited 103 years for and it was everything I ever wanted, she was everything I would ever want. Her lips moved swiftly against mine as she ran her fingers softly through my hair. I gripped onto her hips pulling her as close to me as was physically possible. We were locked in a lover's embrace neither one of us wanting to push the other away. I heard a thunder clap as rain smacked the side wall.

Lightning shot across the sky lighting the room up in strobes of pulsing light. My hands drifted to her ass pulling her off the ground as I moaned into her mouth. Her legs wrapped around me while she moaned back into my own willing me to continue. In a fraction of a second she was pushed onto the bed. The storm raged on as the heat building between us sent me into a frenzy. My hands roamed her hips caressing her thighs with my finger tips as her hands pulled my hair and ran across my back.

Thunder clashed again as I brought my finger tips to the button on her jeans, but there was only one way I could get them off fast enough. My fingers fastened onto the loops on Bella's jeans and the rip of shredded denim echoed through the air. When I threw the jeans there was a loud crash of glass as the lamp hit the floor and the room went completely dark. Bella jumped slightly from the sound and I chuckled internally. The only light that illuminated the room now was the brief flashes of lighting as my lips moved from her mouth to allow her to breathe. But I would not let my lips leave her skin. I trailed open mouth kisses from her lips to her neck leaving a trail of cold on her overheated skin.

"Oh god, Edward. I love you too… I LOVE YOU!" She shouted as my fingers massaged her thighs towards her core. My lips were pressed against her neck as I moaned out loud at her outburst. SHE LOVES ME! I didn't even bother to think I just ripped her pink cotton underwear off of her and threw them into the pile of torn denim and glass.

"I want to touch you, Bella… I'm dying to touch you," I panted against her neck.

"Yes! Yes, please touch me…," she whimpered as she pulled at my shirt. I yanked it over my head regretting the brief loss of her skin before attaching my lips back to her. My fingers embraced her shirt and with a simple flick of the wrist both her shirt and bra were disposed in the corner. My eyes gazed upon the naked angel beneath me and I could feel the magnetic pull her body emanated, drawing me in more and more.

"Bella, so beautiful, you are everything, everything to me," I choked out. "You must tell me if I hurt you. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you, love."

"Of course, Edward… Please, I need you… touch me," she whimpered and with those small whimpered phrases I found myself lost in my sweet Bella. My lips ran along her collarbone and I began to leave open mouth kisses on her breasts in soothing circles before grazing one of her taut nipples with my tongue. Bella gripped tighter onto my hair and tried to pull my head closer to her body, but I would have to keep my distance.

"Careful, Bella, don't forget my teeth, love," I whispered as I ran my fingers to the slick wet skin of her folds and the moment the tips of my cold fingers touched my Bella she screamed out.

"Holy fuck!"

So hot, so soft, so wet, so MINE! I pushed one of my fingers into her as I rubbed her clit with my thumb and Bella began to shout random obscenities and affectionate phrases.

"Oh my, god damn! Yes, I love you, Edward. Oh, fuck, I love you!"

My cock held tight against my jeans and throbbed uncontrollably at her words and the sweet mewing noise she was making. The thunder clapped again as I pushed another finger into Bella's dripping wet center. God, I want to taste her, I want to fuck her, make love to her, and tease her endlessly.

"Fuck, Bella. You're so wet for me. Shit! I fucking want you so bad!" I screamed out as I pounded my fingers into her.

"Ugh! EDWARD! Fuck me! Please Edward, just fuck me!" She shouted as I felt her inner walls begin to pulse toward her climax. Holy hell, this woman will be the death of me.

"Soon love, soon, but right now you're going to come for me. You're going to come all over my fingers so I can clean them off with my mouth. Do you hear me?! Now, come for me, my naughty girl," I whispered into her ear and I felt her walls clench around my fingers as she screamed.

"Fuck, I LOVE YOU!"

"That's it, baby. Good girl…," I told her softly as she rode the waves of her orgasm. When her body finally relaxed I pulled out my fingers and brought them to my mouth. I waited for Bella's eyes to latch on to me before taking them into my mouth and thoroughly cleaning them off. OH FUCK! God damn it she is fucking delicious! My cock twitched wildly and I had to take a few deep breaths to try to keep my animalistic tendencies at bay.

Bella reached for my belt and I could no longer deny her. I needed the release, to have her hands on me. I fell back onto the bed and she kneeled between my legs as she pulled at my belt I leaned up and caught her nipple between my lips and sucked softly making sure to keep her skin clear of my teeth.

"It's my turn, my Edward. You want to be a good boy don't you?" She said in her temptress voice thick with lust. Fuck, I will never last if she talks dirty to me like this. Two can play at this game.

"Well, what if I'm not the good boy, Bella? What if I'm the bad guy?" I whispered in her ear before licking her neck slowly. Bella swayed slightly from the gesture. Oh yeah, Bella. I'll be your bad boy. She pulled off my belt in one swift motion and pushed me back to make me lay flat again. She folded the belt in half before leaning over to whisper in my ear seductively.

"That's fine, baby, but bad boys get punished," she said as she leaned back and smacked me across the chest with the belt.

"Jesus Christ, Bella! Fuck!" I shouted in a moan. It didn't hurt, but turned me on more than I could possibly stand.

Oh holy fucking hell! I'm fucked! I'm going to come right in my pants before she even touches me, shit. At that moment Bella unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and immediately started stroking me. As I let out a feral growl my hands ripped into the sheets at my side. My eyes closed at the intensity of her touch and my stomach already started tightening with my coming climax when I felt something that I wasn't expecting. I looked down to find my sweet Bella's lips wrapped around the head of my cock as I felt her tongue gliding around the tip. SON OF A BITCH!

"FUCK, BELLA! Move quickly please, I can't hold it back...," I begged and I was so glad she listened because I came the second her lips moved away. Ending up with come all over my pants and stomach, but it didn't matter.

"I fucking love you!" I shouted as I grabbed her and pulled her lips up to mine. The storm outside began to calm as I embraced my love, rubbing my hands along her back and kissing her passionately. When we finally separated I ran my hand up to wipe the tears off of my love's cheeks. A smile lit her perfect face so I knew they were tears of joy. I smiled back at her as I whispered against her lips.

"More than words, love,"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**EPOV**

Bella had been resting her head on my chest as I hummed a lullaby I had been composing for her. She looked up at me and her eyes sparkled with what seemed to be intrigue.

"What are you thinking about, love?" I whispered as I pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's so strange, we go together so perfectly, but it goes against everything in nature. It's almost as if a lion fell in love with a lamb," she said with a sigh and a beautiful smile.

"I guess that makes me one sick, masochistic lion," I said with a chuckle.

"And that makes me a really stupid lamb," she replied with a giggle before lying her head back down.

"Crap, Edward. What time is it?" Bella said jumping up after lying in my arms for a little while longer. I peered over at the clock. Shit, 9:00, Charlie will not be happy.

"I better get you home, Bella. It's already 9," I said as I ran into my bedroom's adjoining bathroom and cleaned off real fast.

On the counter was a bag with a note attached.

_You should rip off all her clothes than I can just buy her a whole new wardrobe this weekend.-Ali =)_

I laughed out loud and threw the dirty clothes in the hamper. I grabbed the bag of clothes Alice had left and threw them onto the bed. Bella eyed the bag suspiciously before saying one word.

"Alice."

She laughed at the note as I went into my closet and pulled on a shirt and a new pair of jeans. I came out of the closet to find Bella still naked pulling on the silk red thong Alice had purchased for her. I groaned as she bent forward to pull them up she was facing away from me and I would have jumped her if not for the sound of the front door slamming shut and Alice's thoughts invading my head.

_The wolves will be back in 1 hour, Edward. Hurry up and take the human home._

After shaking off my previous thought I cleaned up the broken glass and clothes from the corner of the room and by the time I got back from throwing them away Bella was finally dressed. Her jeans and shirt were much like the ones she wore before so I'm sure Charlie wouldn't notice at all.

"You ready to go, my Bella," I whispered to her as I wrapped my arms around her from behind. She turned around to face me before responding with a sad look on her face.

"No…, but I guess I have to go anyway. I'm sure the wolves are going to be back soon. Just promise me you'll try to make sure Jake doesn't get hurt."

"I promise I won't let anything happen to your puppy, love," I said with a laugh and she joined in.

I drove Bella home and stopped in front of her house, but instead of driving away I walked her to the door. We spent several minutes on the porch embracing each other before I leaned in and kissed her deeply, holding her to ensure she wouldn't fall. When I heard Charlie coming towards the door I pulled away.

"I love you, my Bella," I whispered.

"I love you too, my Edward," she responded.

"More than words," I whispered and was driving off before she could even say anything. I watched her go inside out of the rear view mirror flushed and shaky.

Bella's taste was still on my lips and tongue. Mixed with her lingering scent in the car she completely surrounded me. I started noticing that her scent made my throat burn worse when she wasn't around now. All the physical contact must be a good distraction. I laughed at the fact that apparently all I need is some love and physical intimacy to tame the bloodlust.

When I arrived home everyone was waiting out front since the wolves would be there shortly. I stood on the porch next to Carlisle so we could present a united front. Carlisle stood next to Esme with a protective arm wrapped around her waist. Rosalie and Emmett were a matching pair, standing side by side, both with their arms crossed in front of their chest. Jasper was sitting on the porch step rubbing Alice's back. Poor Alice was curled up in a ball on the front porch rocking her self back and forth. She was trying to see around the wolves' cloudy haze.

_I can't see crap because of these stupid mutts. It's definitely not helping that Jazz is sending me all this lust. I mean for god sake's it's only been 5 minutes!_

I chuckled internally and attempted to block her out for my own good, I knew the wolves would be here shortly because I could hear their thoughts in the distance. They were in human form for which I was grateful because trying to translate all the jumbled thoughts when they're phased was a pain in my ass.

_This is so dumb. I can't believe that Sam wants these bloodsuckers to help us. We can handle that violet eyed creature ourselves._

Ah, so that's what they needed help with. Hopefully they would have some more information than we did then maybe they could actually make themselves useful. The five boys emerged once again from the tree line each wearing nothing more than a pair of worn out shorts. If Alice wasn't in such a tizzy I am sure she would be begging to dress them in something more suitable. I thought about Alice actually dressing the werewolves and that must have gotten her attention.

_Oh, brother, they would look so great after I was done with them. I've never had a werewolf Barbie before!_

Both Alice and I laughed out loud as the rest of the family and our werewolf company looked on with confusion. If only they knew.

"Welcome, I am Carlisle Cullen," Carlisle stated when the pack came to a stop just like before. "This is my family my wife, Esme, my daughter's Alice and Rosalie, and my sons Jasper, Emmett and Edward." He pointed out each of us before looking back to the pack.

"What can we do for you gentleman?" he asked being the authoritative father figure. After all the years I have spent with him I truly view him as my father. He's become my mentor, my crutch. He's never too distracted for his children like my biological father was. With Carlisle family comes first.

"I am Sam and this is my pack, Jared, Paul, Embry and Jacob." Sam, the leader, replied as he pointed out the four boys that stood behind him before facing us again. "Strange things have been occurring on the reservation and we require assistance with tracking a violet eyed creature in the woods. It has no scent so we are unable to track it."

"We would be more than happy to assist," Carlisle agreed causing Rosalie to release a heavy sigh of disapproval. "On one condition, I heard of an incident earlier this afternoon with my son, Edward. I would hope to not have a repeat of that in the future. My family did nothing wrong and I expect you to keep your pack in check."

"Of course, I apologize for Jacob's behavior he is young, he joined the pack only a few days ago and is still extremely volatile. He has been reprimanded for his actions I assure you and I have informed the entire pack that they are not to attack without just cause," Sam responded.

His thoughts matched his words. He had in deed punished Jacob, giving him the night guard duty until the violet eyed creature is discovered. Sleep would be hard to come by for dear Jacob anytime soon. I knew he deserved it, but for some reason I still felt bad for him that was until I focused in on the memory he was reliving.

_Bella was beneath him lying on the sand with her hair sprawled out around her. He had his lips on her lips and neck. She was kissing him back, not fighting him at all. His hands roamed her sides as she moaned softly._

Waves of jealousy shot through me. How dare he touch my Bella! I would start with his legs enjoying the crunch the bones made as I crushed them. Then his arms and finally I would sink my teeth into him and inject him with my venom which would seep into his blood stream and poison him, killing him slowly, painfully. I was about to make my move when he focused in on the memory again.

" _I'm sorry, Jake. I'm just not ready for this. I feel it, I do, but I can't be what you want. I'm still coping with the loss of my parents. I just can't do this right now,"_ _Bella said with a deep sigh._

" _I understand, Bells. I'm sorry I pushed you too far. However you want me I'll be here for you," he said as he stood._

" _So, can we be friends, Jake?" Bella asked as she looked up at him._

_He reached for Bella's hand and pulled her up to her feet as he said, "Always and forever, Bells."_

A smug smile crossed my face. She rejected him, but she had not rejected me. So that's why he wanted to kill me. Can't say I blamed him, but Bella is mine. I was calm once again so I focused back on the discussion between Carlisle and Sam.

"I want to inform you, Sam that we have had incidents with this creature as well. We are unable to track it ourselves, we have tried, but we are willing to help you find it. After all twelve is better than five," Carlisle said. "It would do us good to share our stories, maybe there is something that we know that might help you or vice versa."

Sam nodded in approval and nudged Jacob forward.

_I can't believe he wants me to tell them about this._

"I was patrolling the woods last night when I came across this creature, it looked like a male vampire with brown hair and pale skin that glowed slightly in the moonlight, but it had no scent. It was on the ground sitting Indian style humming or chanting and when I tried to get closer its head snapped up. It had these bright violet eyes, almost like the color of a lightning bolt and when my eyes connected with its eyes I saw a brief vision. It wasn't something I had ever seen before, I know that much. I think it might have been a vision of the future. Anyways, it was a vision of Bella…," Jacob said and then paused briefly to focus in on the vision that he was replaying in his mind.

"We were in the woods and she was crying, practically screaming in agony. Begging me to make her forgot. That's all she kept saying was 'Make me forgot, Jacob!' Her shoulders raked with sobs into my shoulder as I rubbed her back in soothing circles, but she just kept wailing. I pulled her back to look her in the eyes trying to calm her. That's when I said, 'No, Bella I know you and you don't want to forget.' Then she ran off into the dark, but I didn't follow," Jacob stated in a pained voice. It was almost like he was suffering for her, feeling her pain.

Strangely enough I felt pain too, seeing Bella so devastated was killing me, but why would she run to Jacob? Why wouldn't she run to me? Jasper, realizing my distress, sent a wave of calm my way and I nodded my head in thanks.

"Interesting, Edward would you mine sharing your vision as well as Bella's?" Carlisle asked staring straight at me.

I stepped forward as Jacob had done and took a deep breath, even though I truly didn't need it, it still helped.

"I guess I will start with Bella's vision, since it came first. Last Monday Bella was staring out a window in English when the Bell rang she was picking up her things to leave when she caught sight of the bright violet color outside. She was shown a vision not of the future, but of the past. Her vision was simple. Her parents tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight before exiting the room and she fell asleep feeling loved and protected," I said pausing to allow everyone to take in the peaceful vision before continuing with my own.

I knew that the wolves would not take what I had to say lightly, but if Carlisle felt it was safe than I trusted him.

"Last night I had a vision of Bella. Mine was of the future, like Jacob's. I was at a wedding. I think it might have been mine, but I'm not positive about that. Bella wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately. I was confused for a moment before kissing her back and then she pulled away and smiled at me… The thing is when she pulled away her eyes were blood red… She had been changed into one of us." I said.

Jacob started to shake slightly. I didn't have to read his thoughts to know the reason he was upset. He would never accept Bella being one of us. What he didn't know was that I wouldn't allow that to happen.

"That's not what I want though. I love Bella, but I want her to remain human and I am determined to keep her that way." I stated for everyone, but mostly for Jacob's sake. He stopped shaking and I think that's the first time his thoughts were genuinely nice about me.

_At least the leech knows what's best for her._

Well, almost nice, close enough.

"So, tonight Alice and Jasper will search our side of the border. If they see anything they will alert us and we will contact you by phone. It would make things easier if you would consider opening up the border, but that is completely up to you," Carlisle said speaking directly to Sam.

"I will have to speak with the tribal elders about that. When they make a decision I will let you know," Sam responded before turning to the pack. "Jacob, Embry you will search the Quileute border tonight, alert me directly if you find anything so I may inform the Cullens."

Both Jacob and Embry responded with a nod.

"Thank you for your help. We will be in touch," Sam stated. They pack took off into the woods and the family headed inside. I lingered outside for a few moments before following the rest of the family into the house.

My family searched the border every night and as Bella slept I would sit underneath her window to watch over her. I would have to speak with her after tonight about sleeping in bed with her on a nightly basis, purely for protective reasons of course. It's Friday night and Alice was finally headed home with Bella. My sweet Bella had been subjected to an afternoon full of shopping torture. It took very little dazzling on Alice's part to get Charlie to agree to a sleepover in the same house as the boy who had taken her out on a date, my pixie sister had that poor human wrapped around her indestructible little pinkie finger. Neither Bella nor I had told him we were committed to each other. We figured it was best if we told him after the sleepover so he wouldn't be too suspicious.

I was really looking forward to tonight. Nothing more had happened between me and Bella in the physical sense. She knew the rule though. If I ever hurt her she was to stop me immediately and no matter how much I didn't want to hurt her I was still afraid I would so I was glad that she hadn't pushed me since Tuesday. I didn't want to hurt her and what we had right now was more than I ever expected anyway. I was more looking forward to getting the opportunity to have my angel sleeping in my arms all night. Alice, Bella, and I had made a deal about this weekend. Bella would be mine Friday night through Saturday night and Alice would get her after school today and all of Sunday. Little did Bella know that there was a shiny new yellow Porsche in the garage filled to the hilt with Louis Vuitton and Dolce and Gabbana purses that had tipped the scale in my favor. I never said that I played fair.

Bella stepped out of the Mercedes with her overnight bag. She looked absolutely stunning, but I had a feeling that Alice had a part in that tonight because she was dressed in designer labels from head to toe. I tried to get a view of how much Alice had actually forced Bella to try on out of her thoughts, but she was blocking me by singing obnoxious 90's pop songs. I was just happy that my sister stuck with clothes that Bella actually seemed to like. The Navy blue sweater was low cut and hugged her curves perfectly and was paired with dark jeans and matching ballet flats. Her hair was down in curls around her face and when her eyes met mine her lips curved into a smile fit for a goddess, my own personal Aphrodite.

I smiled my crooked smile back at her and grabbed her bag along with a few of the dozen shopping bags. I gave her a brief kiss causing her cheeks to flare before ushering her into the house and out of the cold.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**BPOV**

"Alice, I don't understand why I have to try all this crap on. You have already seen that it fits!" I shouted at her through the dressing room door. We've been at the Port Angeles mall for 3 straight hours and all I have seen is the inside of dressing rooms.

"It's part of the shopping experience, Bella. Besides don't you want to spend time with me?" She asked with a pout as I stepped out once again. She looked absolutely devastated like a five year old girl who had just broken her favorite baby doll.

I loved spending time with Alice, but I was too excited about tonight to think about anything else. Tonight would be the night. I was not going let him say no this time. I know what I want and I am going to get it. Ever since I first saw him I knew that he was it for me. There's no one in this world that could make me feel like he does. I've been lying low since Tuesday, not pushing him past our set limits. He would be helpless against me when I finally pushed him over the edge after days of being complacent.

"Of course I do, Alice, but can't we do something I actually enjoy doing?" I asked hoping to god I could get her to stop making that face at me.

"We're almost done. We only have one more store left, Bella," Alice replied as she grabbed the clothes from the keep pile and pulled me over to the cashier.

She insisted on paying for all the clothes we picked out and wouldn't allow me to agree to pay her back. I didn't have all the money to pay her back now, but I would come my 18th Birthday. My father had been a minor league baseball player and we had always lived under what he made. Both my parents had saved and invested thousands of dollars that had all been handed over to me. I received monthly checks from Charlie as sort of an allowance, but I wouldn't get all the money until I turned 18 and a big chunk was set aside for my college education.

Alice pulled me out into the mall and came to a stop in front of a store that I definitely wasn't expecting, Frederick's of Hollywood. The place was famous for its lingerie which really didn't cover much. I looked at Alice with my mouth wide open. She knew, damn future seeing pixie!

"Come on, Bella! Time to get you something that will make it impossible for him to say no," Alice said giving me an evil smirk.

"God, I love you, Alice," I responded and she pulled me into the store.

We were driving back to the house, the back seat was full of bags and I had put on my secret weapon underneath my clothes. I felt sexy in it even though it covered me completely. The corset was a dark blue halter with a princess cut and lace up back. The garters from the corset attached to dark blue stockings and the outfit was complete with matching blue lace thong. Edward would die all over again when he saw me in this. I would be surprised if the corset and underwear even survived the encounter. I chucked internally before turning to look at Alice.

"So, will this work, Alice?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous and insecure.

"I'm not 100% sure. The first vision I ever saw of you was you and Edward in his bed and you asking him to make love to you. Now, Edward has yet to make his decision so I don't know for sure, but if I was going on pure instinct here then I believe the answer to your question is yes," She replied giving me a sweet smile before turning her eyes back to the road. "You're a lot tougher than you let on Bella and I think you're going to knock his socks off."

"Thanks, Ali," I said giving her a smile as we pulled into Forks.

"What are sisters for?" She stated with a huge grin as she pressed down on the gas. I looked over at the gauge and noticed we were going over 130 mph.

"Holy, shit! Can't you slow down, Ali? I would like to be alive for tonight's events," I shouted at her in horror. This woman was going to kill me. Who wants to die a virgin? Not me, that's for sure.

"Don't worry, Bella. Vampire, remember?" She responded pointing to her self like that was the best explanation in the world.

"Yeah, but with my luck I bet you'll be the first vampire ever to get in an accident and get me killed," I replied.

"Don't you know the family motto yet?" She asked with glee in her voice. I shook my head. "Never bet against Alice."

We pulled into the drive and my nerves went into overdrive and I started fidgeting with the tag on my overnight bag. We came to a stop and I stepped out of the car and my eyes immediately locked on Edward. He was in a simple pair of dark blue jeans with a black button up shirt. With lightning fast movement he grabbed my bag and his lips turned into a crooked smile. He looked like a god, my own personal Adonis. He grabbed some of the bags out of the back seat and his lips locked onto mine for too brief of a moment. My cheeks flushed with color at his loving gesture and he ushered me inside. The house was empty and I turned to ask Alice where every one was, but she had disappeared too.

"Where did everyone go, Edward?" I asked as I followed him up the stairs. He turned to look back at me, his eyes a molten heated gold and I realized that I honestly didn't care, but before I could take the question back he responded.

"Alice suggested that it would be best if they went hunting since you'll be staying for a few days. Plus, there seems to be a storm brewing outside and thunderstorms make the hunt that much more exciting."

Okay, it was official, I adore Alice! She's a genius. What would be worse than making love in a house full of vampires who could hear every noise you make? Nothing, well, nothing except being _rejected_ in a house full of vampires who could hear every noise you make. She had completely eliminated the last of my concerns. I could kiss that girl!

We walked into Edward's room and he placed my overnight bag on the floor. The room was lit up in a nice warm glow with candles that covered almost every flat service and a roaring fire in the fireplace that now occupied a small part of the wall on the right side of the room. I wondered briefly when he had that installed, but shrugged it off.

"Alice still hasn't gotten a new lamp yet, although I have no clue why. So, I hope you don't mind the candles, love," he said as he sat on the bed and waved me over.

Yep, definitely a genius! I would be paying her back in shopping trips until the end of time.

"Not at all, my Edward," I replied using the husky temptress voice that I knew would get his attention. His eyes started to smolder as he stared up at me and I could hear a little rumble in his chest when I held up one finger. "Give me a human moment. I'd like to change into something more comfortable."

I walked into the adjoining bathroom and pulled off my jeans and sweater. On the counter was a pair of dark blue heels. It took me only a millisecond to determine who had put them there, Alice. I reached out for them when I saw a note underneath of them.

_Just put them on! You won't fall. I'm a genius, remember? =)_

I giggled lightly while I strapped the heels to my feet and tossed the note in the trash. I stood in front of the mirror and fixed a few strands of my hair as I took a deep breath. The corset really did look fabulous on me. This is it, Bella. You can do this. It's time to teach Edward a little lesson in getting what you want. Class is now in session. I reached for the door knob and opened the door slowly. When I finally stepped out of the bathroom I watched Edward's mouth drop open. Good boy.

He kept moving his mouth like he wanted to speak, but no words were coming out. Aw, my poor little Adonis is speechless, well I can fix that. I walked carefully forward swaying my hips a little with my steps until I was directly in front of him. I leaned over and pressed my index finger to the bottom of his chin to shut his gaping mouth.

"Is there a problem, my Edward?" I asked, my voice dripping in sex as Edward would say.

I started to unbutton the buttons on his shirt as he composed him self. Finally, after I had finished taking off his shirt he came to. A devious smile lit his perfect face as my hands ran along his chest.

"You've been a bad girl, my Bella," he whispered in his husky velvet voice as he ran his hands down my sides. I moaned lightly at his cool touch. A low moan escaped him when he reached the dark blue stockings. That's it, baby.

"Not as bad as I can be, my Edward," I whispered back running my hands down his chest as I lowered my self to my knees. A growl emanated from his perfectly formed lips when I unbuckled the belt he was wearing and pulled it off in one fell swoop.

"I'm not the only one who's been bad. You've been a bad boy and we all know what happens to bad boys, baby," I said as I unzipped and unbuttoned his pants. I pulled off his pants and ran my hands up and down his muscular thighs unable to help the moans that escaped my lips. He gripped the sides of the bed as I brought my lips to his knee kissing lightly at the skin there before moving up slowly, almost excruciatingly slow. When I got to mid thigh I stopped.

"They get punished," I whispered against his skin and then bit him there, hard enough for him to feel it, but not hard enough to cause me any damage. Edward let out a loud feral growl that shook the room slightly and caused my arousal that had pooled between my legs to drip onto the plush white carpet. Lightning flashed as the storm that had been brewing outside finally hit. I ran my tongue along the spot that I had bit as Edward groaned.

"Bella! God, Bella, please I'm begging you, please," he said in a strained needy voice.

"Please what, Edward?" I asked knowing exactly what he wanted, but I wanted to hear him say it. His eyes twinkled lightly with understanding. That's right, come on, Edward, be the dirty boy I know you are. He reached out and grabbed onto the back of my hair pulling my head back just enough so I could look him in the eyes.

"You're going to do what I tell you to do now, my naughty girl, do you understand?" He asked in his commanding, lust filled, dark and sexy voice. I nodded in agreement as my breathing got heavier. Finally, dirty Edward comes out to play… Boy, does he have a way with words, my panties were thoroughly destroyed and he had barely even touched me yet.

"Good, now put that luscious mouth to good use, my dirty little girl," he said as he ran his fingers down through my hair. I sucked on his thigh moving my lips up his thighs faster now then before. My center was throbbing now, aching for me to continue. I latched my fingers underneath the band of his boxers and pulled them down to expose his perfect cock. It was almost as if my head moved on its own accord as I leaned forward and placed my warm lips around his enormous erection. I heard him let out a hiss when I ran my tongue around the tip of him.

"Fuck! So hot, ugh, god Bella," he moaned as he thrust himself gently into me. My core was on fire as I took him deeper, moaning around him as he filled my mouth. He tasted so perfect like a peppermint Popsicle and he was all mine. Mine! The storm outside grew stronger as if being controlled by some unforeseen force and I started bobbing my head back and forth reveling in his taste and sounds. The rain was pelting against the window and the thunder and lightning drew closer, but all I could hear was the throaty moans coming out of his mouth. I moved my left hand to his thigh and my right around the base of him to stroke the part of him that didn't fit.

"That's it, Bella. Fuck… Good Girl," he encouraged and I could feel my arousal coating my thighs. He began getting stiffer and I knew he was getting close, but I didn't want to stop. I had already decided that I wasn't going to move when he told me too. If Alice had seen a problem with it she would have called.

"Ugh, Bella, fuck… Move!" He shouted, but I didn't. I continued sucking on him, but he was too distracted to pull me off. I felt his cool liquid shoot into my mouth and I swallowed it down greedily savoring every last bit of peppermint as it slid over my tongue. I released him from my mouth, but he wasn't angry like I expected. Instead of yelling he pulled me to my feet and ripped the thong off my body, leaving the corset and stockings intact. He threw me back onto the bed and pulled his boxers back up and before I could blink he was licking my thigh sucking lightly on the skin there as I screamed in pleasure.

"Edward!"

"That was very, very, bad, my Bella," he said as he sat up onto his knees. I noticed immediately what was in his hand, his belt. Oh fuck, yes!

"Well, then maybe you should punish me, Edward. Maybe you should spank me," I said before biting lightly on my bottom lip. I saw his eyes smolder deeper as he leaned forward and sucked on my neck lightly before whispering into my ear.

"Would you like that, my naughty little slut?"

I whimpered when I heard him call me that. It turned me on so bad that the bed was literally being soaked by my arousal. Edward took a whiff of the air and pulled back enough to show me the devious smile that was plastered on his face.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. What shall I do with you? Who would have thought such a quiet, shy girl could be so dirty?" he said softly as his fingers moved up my thigh to my dripping center. He ran his fingers along my folds as I moaned and gasped for air.

"Turn over," he commanded and I complied immediately. "On all fours."

As soon as I was on my hands and knees I felt Edward's cool breath on the back of my neck. He placed the belt to his side as he spoke in a quiet, but rough voice against my skin.

"We'll use the belt for later. I'd much rather spank your bare ass with my hand." He paused and his voice lightened up significantly when he continued. "Our rule still applies, love, so I'll start out soft and you can tell me when it's too hard."

I nodded in agreement and he ran his hand down to my ass.

"Oh god, Edward," I whimpered as his hand grazed my center.

"God's not here right now, my Bella, only me. But, I intend to make you feel so good that you're not going to remember your own name," he said, his voice back to being rough and husky. As soon as the words left his lips his hand came down on my ass with a loud smack. The storm continued on outside, getting fiercer, but it only fueled us on more.

"Ugh, Harder," I screamed and his hand came down again causing my skin to sting every so slightly when it hit. I could hear the rush of running water outside while everything inside me was screaming to let go, to find release.

"Yes! Just like that, Edward. Fuck," I whimpered and his hand came down again. He spanked me several more times as I moaned. After one last excruciating, yet exhilarating smack he flipped me onto my back. I didn't even have time to protest before he had strapped my hands to the headboard using his belt.

"Hmmm, it seems that you're all tied up, my dirty little lamb. What shall I do with you now?" he said tapping on his chin. He leaned forward and blew his breath across my face giving me a smirk. His lips caressed my neck and then my jaw as he made a path to my lips. When they finally contacted mine I let out a deep moan. He kissed me passionately causing the fire in my core to only burn hotter. After several minutes he pulled back with a sexy smile on his face.

"I suppose I could just have my wicked way with you," he said and I heard a rip as my corset went flying across the room. I heard the thunder and watched the flashes of lightning shoot across the room. I started panting with need and quickly lost all coherent thought, blurting out the first thought that came to mind.

"Please, I love you, Edward. Make love to me. Make me yours," I whispered softly, lovingly as I stared into his eyes. Edward's face dropped with concern at my words. I knew he was scared, that he was frightened of hurting me, but if he could spank me without losing it, he could damn well make love to me without losing it. I could hear the soft trickle of the rain outside. It was quiet, neither one of us making a sound.

He quickly untied the belt and I had my arms around him in an instant caressing his back lightly with my finger tips. His hand came up to stroke my cheek and I could see the fear in his golden eyes.

"Please, Edward, this is what I want. I need you." I whispered trying to convey all the love and desire I had for this man in those simple words. He looked me in the eyes and I knew he saw it there because I saw the same thing looking back at me. He loved me, he wanted me. I could feel it deep down, all the way to my very soul that screamed out for him.

"I don't know if I can do this, Bella. I love you with all that I am and I want this, but I just don't know if I'm strong enough to stop," he said in a strained voice as I rubbed his back gently. I moved my fingers up into his hair and pulled him towards me. Hoping, praying that he would bless my lips with his.

He captured my lips and we entwined into each other as he plunged his tongue into my waiting mouth. I moaned into the cavern of his cool mouth dwelling on his sweet peppermint taste. He's all I could smell, all I could taste, he surrounded me in every possible way, but I still couldn't get close enough. I ran my fingers from his hair down his back to the waistband of his boxers and yanked lightly on the fabric to get my point across.

Edward leaned back and I feared that this was it. This was that rejection that I had been expecting in the back of my mind, but secretly hoping wouldn't happen. I started to panic and could feel the tears prickling at my eyes so I closed them tightly and willed them to go away. I was about to lose the battle when I felt his gentle caress along my leg. I opened my eyes to find Edward removing the blue high heels I had strapped onto my feet with a soft smile.

He rolled down the stockings with care kissing the area that he exposed as he rolled them down. I realized that there was no noise at that moment except for the soft breaths I was taking. The storm had completely passed. Edward nestled himself between my legs and pulled off his boxers in one quick motion. I could feel him at my entrance pushing ever so slightly against my aching core. He peered down at me and I could see the internal conflict he was having clear as day in his perfect features. I ran my fingers up his cool marble chest and took his face in between my hands.

"I love you, my gentle lion," I whispered in reassurance and his lips pulled up into a loving smile that touched his liquid topaz eyes.

"More than words, my sweet lamb," he whispered back as he entered me slowly. I could feel the burn as the skin stretched to accommodate him, but it was only mild discomfort. He reached my barrier and stopped to allow me time to adjust.

"This is going to hurt some, love. Let me know if you need me to stop," he whispered. The pain was evident on his face. He never wanted to cause me harm, but now he would have to do it intentionally. I only hoped that if he was unable to control him self that he would have the strength to stop him self from draining me. I hadn't discussed it with him, but I would take forever with him if he offered it.

I nodded so that he would continue. He pushed forward, breaking through my barrier. I scrunched my eyes closed at the burning sensation it caused. It hurt, but not enough for me to want to stop. I felt the blood trickle and prayed that the minuscule amount would not be the death of me. I opened my eyes again and willed myself to look at Edward, to reassure him I was alright. Staring back at me were the now onyx black eyes of my lover.

I tried to reach out to caress his cheeks, but he shook his head.

"Distract me, tell me you love me," he begged with strain in his velvet voice. I would do anything at that moment to take away his pain, to give him the strength he needed.

"I love you, Edward. I adore you. You are everything to me. I'm yours and you are mine. We belong together. I will want for you always, my Edward." I whispered and his eyes softened, the onyx black gave way to a muddy brown before turning to a dark hued gold.

"Keep going, Bella," he whispered in a strained voice as he pushed himself further into me at an extremely slow pace. It burned, but the friction was beginning to feel incredible.

"You are my life now, my lover, my best friend, my mate. I love you more than words could ever express," I replied, moaning softly between words as the heat in my core began to build again. I looked in Edward's eyes which had finally morphed from the dark hued gold to molten butterscotch.

"Oh, Bella, I love you. I love you so much," he said caressing my cheek and hair before pushing into me all the way and then slowly back out again. His head fell to my shoulder and he began leaving feather light kisses all over my skin. My arms wrapped around him and gripped him closer to me.

"Oh, Edward. Ugh, faster," I moaned as he left open mouth kisses along my shoulder neck and chest. His lips encased my nipple and I screamed out.

"Edward!"

"Ugh, Bella. So warm, so beautiful," he whimpered against my skin as he started to move faster within me. I could feel the coil in my stomach wrapping around itself as my heart pounded in my chest and the dizzy content feeling of my coming climax engulfed me in its sweet embrace. Edward brought his lips to mine and I captured his tongue in my mouth once more. My fingers pushed against his stone hard back as he rocked into me.

"Edward… I'm so close. Ugh, Edward. I love you," I whimpered when he pulled away to let me breath. He thrust harder into me and I could feel him growing even stiffer against my walls.

"I love you, Bella…Ugh, Almost there, so close, love," he panted and with those words I reached my peak.

"Edward!" I screamed as he thrust all the way into me and my walls clamped down on him. I was in absolute euphoric bliss when he thrust in me several more times before I felt his cool liquid fill me while he screamed out in his own release.

"Bella!"

He pushed his lips against mine and kissed me as the rest of the world drifted out of focus. I had never felt so light before. I hugged him to my body when he pulled his lips away and peered at the window over his shoulder. A beautiful blanket of white covered the ground as small flurries drifted slowly down to earth. They say home is where you heart is and I was finally home.

"I love you," he whispered into my neck before placing a light kiss there.

"I love you too," I whispered back squeezing him gently to me as I watched the light snow fall.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**BPOV**

We lay together for a while and just watched the snow blanket the constant green. I've never been more content then I was at that very moment. He made me feel so protected. Edward brought out feelings in me that had been dormant since the death of my parents, feelings of love, comfort, and peace. He wrapped his cold stone arms around me and with the heater on full blast it was perfect. We didn't bother to get dressed and his skin felt absolutely magnificent against mine. After an hour or so I couldn't fight the heaviness off my lids anymore and I had to close my eyes. With my head on his shoulder and a possessive arm around his chest he lightly hummed a tune in the background and I allowed sleep to take me.

I awoke when I heard a massive crash coming from downstairs. After quick evaluation of the bed I noticed Edward was nowhere to be seen. I threw on my jeans and sweater from last night before running downstairs to find Emmett and Edward in an intense wrestling match. Edward had Emmett pinned to the ground for a split second before Emmett got the upper hand. I stared on with wild eyes as the two of them moved with such speed that I could barely make out who was winning and who was losing. Alice was beside me in a blink of an eye.

"Let's get you some breakfast, Bella. Then we can get you changed and ready for your day with Edward," Alice said with glee as she grabbed my hand and towed me to the kitchen.

I tried to strain my neck to look back in the direction where all the snarls and growling were coming from, but Alice was blocking my view.

"Move out of the way, Alice! I can't see!" I shouted at her and she just gave me a smile.

"Oh, Bella, don't worry about them, my dear. Edward has a little bone to pick with Emmett, but they won't hurt each other. Now, pull up a chair and eat something," Esme chimed in holding out a plate filled with pancakes and sausage. It really did smell heavenly. I grabbed the plate and sat down at the table to eat when I heard Esme's motherly tone chiding Edward and Emmett like small children.

"Edward! Emmett! Take it outside, I will not tell you again!"

I laughed out loud at the fact that she was yelling at decades old vampires like they were five year old children. Esme gave me a wink and excused her self to ensure the boys didn't destroy anything.

"Bella, did you see the freak storm last night?" Alice asked as she bounced in the chair next to me waiting for me to finish. "One minute it was pouring, even flooding a little bit then suddenly it was snowing. There's ten inches of snow outside."

"I didn't see much of it, but I am sure you already know that, Ali," I said as I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. I was trying to act indifferent, but I really couldn't get rid of the massive smile plastered on my face.

Alice giggled with delight and scooped up my plate the moment I took my last bite. She ushered me upstairs to Edward's room disappearing into the closet, where my overnight bag was, for several seconds before emerging with today's outfit, a pair of dark skinny jeans, a forest green blouse, tan jacket, tan boots and tan scarf. I undressed and pulled on the matching green bra and thong we had bought yesterday as she bounced on Edward's bed giggling like a little school girl.

"You know what, Ali? I think you will be the first vampire ever to spontaneously burst into flames from excitement overload," I teased while zipping up my skinny jeans.

"Well it would be entirely your fault," she teased back before sticking her tongue out at me.

I pulled on the blouse before sitting on the floor to put on my boots all the while letting Alice fester with impatience. I knew exactly what she was so excited about. Ali was dying to know how last night went so I was having fun tagging her along and making her wait that much longer for the information she was dying to know. For Pete sake it's not like she hadn't already seen it. After zipping up the boots I stood in front of her and placed my hands on her hips.

"How could that possibly be my fault?" I said mockingly letting this drag out just a little longer.

"Bella! Emmett and Edward are occupied with wrestling. Jazzy is acting as referee, Rosalie is in the garage working on the cars, Carlisle is at work, and Esme is trying to tend to her garden which was destroyed by last night's storm. That leaves you ten minutes to knock this crap off and tell me what happened last night before we have company and if you are thinking for one minute that I won't get you to tell me right in front of everyone you are sorely mistaken, missy!" She replied sternly.

I laughed at how crazy the little sprite sounded when she's irritated and after a moment she finally started laughing with me. Guess I have left her waiting long enough. I didn't want anyone else hearing what I had to say, only her, because even though I haven't known her that long I am actually extremely comfortable sharing this with her because I know she only has my best interest at heart. It's almost like confiding in a big sister, if your big sister was a 4'10, 110 lbs vampire.

"Well, it worked as you know," I said as I sat down on the bed with my legs crossed facing her. "It started out like it always does, fooling around, talking dirty. Then in the heat of the moment I just asked him. He was scared at first, petrified actually, but I finally convinced him to try it and Ali, it was phenomenal. I can't even describe how absolutely wonderful it was to have him wrap me in his arms and make love to me. When I bled it was unnerving, his eyes turned black, but he just remained still. I showered him with affection, repeating how much I love him until he was finally able to continue. It was slow and uncomfortable at first, but after the initial discomfort it was passionate and heated. It was wonderful, better than I ever imagined."

I saw Alice's eyes were glossy with unshed tears as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. It was like being hugged by a statue, but was still warm with sisterly love. Just last night I had found home again, but I realized something as Alice's stone cold arms embraced me. I had gained so much more than a lover, a mate. I had also gained a best friend and sister in a package set tied with a designer bow. When she released me from our hug she smiled brightly at me before taking me by the hand again.

"Now let's get you ready for the day, missy," she said as she skipped along dragging me to her bathroom. I groaned slightly at what this meant, ugh Bella Barbie. Luckily Alice took it easy on me, she did my make up and hair with vampire speed which made me extremely happy. She only used light make up, just enough to cover the small bags under my eyes and eyeliner to make my brown eyes pop. She pulled my hair into a pony tail and did some loose curls in it and I have to admit I looked fabulous. I gave her a bright smile and thanked her when I heard a small knock and than a familiar yet slightly muffled voice through the door.

"Alice, would you mind releasing my mate? I've already pummeled one sibling today for interference."

I heard him chuckle lightly and it made my heart skip wildly. I rushed to open the door nearly tripping over my own feet before yanking it open to see my Edward leaning against the wall opposite of the door. My hormones went in to overdrive at the sight of him. His tousled hair looked even more wild than usual probably from our late night activities. He sported a tan sweater and darks jeans with his hands nestled in his pockets. I only noticed my mouth had fallen open when Edward stepped forward and placed his index finger underneath my chin.

"Is there a problem, my Bella?" He asked his voice dripping with sex like mine had been the night before.

I felt my arousal pool in between my legs as I swallowed loudly unable to speak. Edward chuckled and released my chin before kissing me lightly on the lips. His touch sent an electric surge through my body causing the heat to build in my stomach as he encircled his arm around my waist. He pulled back after a moment and chuckled when I groaned at the loss of contact.

"Let's go enjoy the snow, love. That way when we come back we can warm up together by the fire," he whispered in my ear as I let out a quiet, but yet still embarrassing moan. My cheeks turned heated with my blush and all I could do was nod in response. He rushed off and was back a moment later with my jacket and scarf in hand. He held out the jacket and I slipped my arms into the sleeves before wrapping the scarf lightly around my neck.

We walked outside hand in hand as I smiled with contentment and joy. When we reached the lawn I noticed that a few of the trees surrounding the Cullen's house had fallen over.

"Looks like the storm caused some damage," I said as I took in the sight of the toppled trees.

"Well, not exactly, the argument between Emmett and I got kind of heated," he replied nervously running his hand through his hair.

I lay down on the lawn to enjoy the soft white blanket underneath of me as Edward looked on slightly confused before his lips turned up in a grin at the sight of me beneath him.

"Speaking of that, what did Emmett do that made you so mad?" I asked as I fanned out my legs and arms making a perfect snow angel. Edward's grin turned to a frown as he lifted me up and placed me on my feet to admire my creation.

"I don't want you to be upset, Bella, but Emmett sort of walked into my bedroom this morning wanting to tell me about the family's hunt last night. Well, you were sleeping and he found us naked in our bed together. I covered you up as quickly as possible, but he still caught a glimpse," he responded in a worried tone.

At first I was mortified and I could feel the heat creeping up into my cold cheeks. After a few minutes however I was more concerned with the fact that Edward was upset than embarrassed that Emmett caught a peek of my goodies.

"Oh… Well, don't worry about it, my Edward. I can't say that I like the fact that your brother saw me naked, but accidents happen," I said with a smile and as suddenly as the frown had appeared it was gone. Edward lifted me up bridal style and kissed my already cold nose with his cold lips.

"So did it hurt, love?" He asked and I found myself extremely perplexed.

"Did what hurt?" I asked in reply and he nodded towards the imprint I had made in the snow before responding.

"When you fell from heaven, my fallen angel,"

Even though it was by far the cheesiest thing I had ever heard I couldn't help the warmth that generated through me at his words. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and captured his lips with mine. We both moaned softly at the contact and I felt the heat building in me once again as Edward carried me inside. He set me down on the piano bench in the living room and I was slightly confused until he slid onto the bench next to me and began to play. The gentle tune his voice had hummed to me the night before filled the room.

As he played the notes the lullaby morphed from its innocent and sweet tune to a sultry more seductive tone before shifting to a melody that reminded me of the heated passion we had shared last night. Each key he hit made the heat inside of me build with anticipation and desire. I began to massage his thigh with my fingertips as I listened to the beautiful song that I was sure he composed him self and although his breath hitched you could hear no break in the lullaby. After a few moments the melody peaked at a crescendo before falling into the innocent and sweet song it had been when he first began to play and concluded with one final note of utter contentment. I was in awe as the last note hung in the air.

He had just described in song exactly what we had both felt last night. I peered up at him underneath heavy lids of lust when he placed his hand on my cheek. His lips pressed to mine and it was heaven. My heart beat speed up with renewed excitement as his sweet peppermint taste diluted my sanity. I wrapped my arms around his neck and into his hair and the kiss grew more heated. Nothing in the world was going to stop me from making love to this man. Well, nothing except his annoying big brother.

"Ahem," Emmett cleared his throat and I pulled away from Edward with a groan. Edward growled menacingly as his big brother stood no more than 10 ft away with his arms crossed in front of his chest. I had never figured out who had won the fight earlier, but seeing Emmett up close made me question it. He was burly and had bigger muscles than most 25 year olds. I knew he was just a big teddy bear at heart, though I could definitely see why most of the kids at school were intimidated by him.

"What do you want, Emmett?" Edward growled through his teeth obviously irritated that his brother had interrupted.

"I'm bored, Eddie! Rose is busy with her stupid car and Alice took Jasper shopping." Emmett whined and stomped his feet a little and I had to laugh at his perfect impression of a five year old.

"Go Away, Em! I'm busy," Edward replied as he rubbed my thigh with his fingers to get me to stop laughing and back in the moment. I sucked in a sharp breath and immediately my cheeks turned bright red when I realized Emmett was still staring at the two of us. He had his lips formed into a small pout as he shuffled his feet on the floor and I have no idea what came over me, but I couldn't stand to see him so sad. I stood up from the bench receiving an annoyed sigh from Edward and grabbed Emmett's hand.

I dragged him to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for ingredients as both Edward and Emmett stared at me confused. I pulled out all the stuff I needed to make cookies and set them out on the island.

"I'm craving something sweet so we're going to make cookies," I said giving both of them a smile. They both grimaced at me and I gave them a stern look handing Edward the dry ingredients and Emmett the wet ones. "The two of you need to learn to get along better."

"Emmett, you need to learn to give Edward some privacy," I stated as I shot a glare at Emmett. Edward chuckled, but stopped abruptly when I turned my glare on him. "And you need to be nicer to Emmett. You're his little brother and he just likes spending time with you."

They both nodded in response and my face lit back up in a smile. I almost laughed out loud when I realized that the two vampires in front of me had just been chastised by a frail human girl. This was going to be interesting, a human and two vampires baking cookies.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**EPOV**

I have to admit that even though I hated the smell, baking cookies was actually kind of fun. Bella helped both Emmett and I mix ingredients and cut out dough and then we got to decorate them after they baked. I think what made it so much fun for me was the fact that Emmett was ecstatic. Bella was right he did enjoy spending time with me. The entire time he thought about how happy I was and how much he liked Bella. I realized then how much I liked having him as a big brother even if he tends to act like a child the majority of the time.

After we were done with the cookies Bella had a few and said that they were actually pretty good. We packed the rest in foil for her to take home and Bella made herself some lunch. She looked so radiant today and every time I caught her eye she would blush that wonderful rose color. My mind replayed last night's events over and over again. The image of her in that dark blue corset, sprawled out naked beneath me, her face when she screamed out my name in ecstasy. I couldn't wait to get my vixen alone again.

Alice and Jasper came home around 4:00 and Jasper challenged Emmett to a game of chess. I would have taken that opportunity to get Bella alone, but she was interested to see how the game would play out. The standing bet was that whoever lost would have to give up what they loved most for 24 hours. For Jasper that would be his civil war reading and Emmett would have to give up sex. Rosalie would definitely not be happy if he lost. Thankfully for Emmett's sake he won and then proceeded to run off and find Rose to celebrate.

Esme made Bella dinner around 6 and at that point I was really dying to get Bella alone. When ever I would look her way now she would just give me a wink as if she knew how bad I wanted to touch her. Occasionally she would come up beside me and brush her hand across the front of my pants with a sly smile, evil human girl. My senses were on overload as I sat next to her and watched her eat the chicken alfredo my mother had made. The sucking action she used to eat made me ache for her. Finally I had enough of her teasing. My naughty Bella was going to get what's coming to her. I leaned forward and breathed in her luscious strawberry scent before whispering in her ear low enough that no one else would hear.

"The moment you're done you're going to go upstairs to my room and take off these clothes that are covering your exquisite form. Then you're going to lie down on my bed and wait for me, understand?" She nodded her head in a weak motion and I could hear her heart speed up.

"Have you ever heard the song Closer by Nine Inch Nails, love?" I asked as I licked at the skin just below her ear. She shivered and nodded her head again and I could smell her arousal as it permeated the air. I loved that she submitted to me, maybe it was the natural predator instinct or the fact that I was the only one who could do this to her, but it turned me on more than she could ever realize. "Good, because that's exactly what I plan on doing to you. I'm going to fuck you like an animal, my Bella and when I'm done with you I'll be surprised if you can still walk."

I ran my hand along her thigh and pushed against her core and Bella dropped her fork as her breathing became heavier. Good girl.

"I'm done," she said as she quickly brought her plate to the sink. She rinsed it faster than I could have thought possible and without saying a word to anyone Bella rushed upstairs. I heard her ascend the stairs and when she shut my bedroom door I called over Alice. She's the only one I would ever ask for anything of this nature because Alice has used more whips, chains and handcuffs than most adult film industries. Plus, she already knew what I intended to do.

_What you need is in your top dresser drawer and I wish I didn't know._

She shook her head probably trying to remove the vision from her brain and I thanked her with a nod before ascending the stairs. Bella's scent lingered in the hallway and I briefly thought about last night when she had become fully mine. The scent of her blood as it hit the sheets had been the sweetest I had ever smelled. She had no idea just how close she was to dying at that point. If I hadn't have spent all that time becoming accustomed to her scent and if she hadn't distracted me I would have surely killed her.

I wished the thought away as I opened the door and caught sight of Bella lying sprawled across my bed. Her blood became a distant thought when I drank in her naked form. Every inch of her was perfect from her dainty feet to her curvy hips and supple breasts. She was shaved clean and I could see the wonderful pink of her core. Her eyes were shut tightly as her chest heaved with arousal. Using my speed I lit a fire and retrieved the items from the drawer.

I came to stand at the side of the bed and trailed my fingers up her leg and Bella's breath hitched at my touch. A soft whimper escaped her lips when my fingers finally connected with her over heated center. Yet she whimpered even more when I pulled them away. Rain started to fall outside and I wondered for a moment if we would get another freak storm. I hadn't bothered to tell Bella, but thunder storms always make the passion that much more intense for vampires.

I crawled on top of the bed and rested myself on my knees between her legs. Grabbing her hands I placed them over her head and attached them to the headboard using the silk restraints I had retrieved from my dresser drawer.

"Edward," Bella moaned in a breathy voice and I leaned down to speak quietly in her ear.

"Now we have two options, my naughty sex kitten. I have in my hand a scarf that I can put around your succulent pouted lips to muffle those amazing sounds that come out of your beautiful, dirty mouth. Or you can use that delectably filthy mouth to let everyone know exactly what it feels like to be fucked into oblivion."

The scent of Bella's arousal spiked and her heart hammered in her chest. Personally, I was hoping she chose option number two. After all the years I have spent being forced to listen to my family's nightly escapades they could handle listening to one night of mine. If not they could always leave I honestly wouldn't care either way. The rain began to fall harder outside as thunder shook the house and I knew than that they would probably leave for there own activities.

"So what will it be, my Bella?" I asked breathing my breath across her face as I ran my right hand down to cup her breast. She moaned loudly when my fingers tugged lightly at her taut nipple and I could feel my erection twitch. I moved my hand down lower to her dripping center and pinched her clit between my thumb and index finger rolling it between the two. "Option one or Option two?"

"Two," she whispered out breathless as she wriggled underneath my touch.

"That's my dirty little girl," I replied as I swiftly penetrated her with two fingers and began pumping into her wildly. I curled my fingers slightly hitting the spot that would make her twitch beneath me. Lightning lit up the room and I could see the sweat glistening off of her face as she screamed.

"Oh, Fuck! Edward!"

"What's wrong, my Bella? You seem tense?" I asked in a playful husky tone as I twisted my fingers inside of her. "Maybe I should stop."

"No, don't stop… fuck, fingers…amazing!" She shouted out unable to make even coherent sentences.

I continued to pump my fingers into her as I licked a trail with my tongue across her neck down around one nipple, I captured it between my lips and suckled on it as Bella's mewling noises filled the room. After a few minutes I moved to the other nipple giving just as much attention to that one as I had to the other before moving my ministrations lower. My tongue trailed across her flat stomach to the spot right below her belly button and I sucked on the skin there breathing in the delicious aroma that permeated from her opening. Her arousal was dripping onto my fingers, leaking onto the bed. I wanted a taste, one taste of Bella's sweet strawberry juices from the source. I was afraid of hurting her, but after a few moments I was far too overwhelmed by need to stop. I swallowed back the venom that had pooled in my mouth and slowly ran my tongue flat against her clit. The sound of rushing water outside was drowned out instantly by the shattering scream of pleasure from Bella's lips at the sensation.

"OH MY FUCK!"

"Bella, fuck, you're delicious…" I moaned as I savored her strawberry taste on my tongue. Before I knew it I was taken over by the monster within me, not the one that craves her blood, the one that craves her the way every man craves a woman, but this was Bella not just any woman. I couldn't have stopped myself if I tried. I removed my fingers and licked and sucked at her clit and opening feverishly as if it was water in the middle of the desert and I was dying from thirst. Latching my arms around her thighs I pulled her as close as possible while I suckled on her nub and growled against her over heated skin. The vibrations of my growl made Bella scream and shake with her orgasm sending a wet stream of her succulent taste into my mouth as she pulled subconsciously at the ties that strapped her to the bed.

"UGH! GOD DAMN! EDWARD!"

I licked her clit as she rode the waves of her release and then I proceeded to clean up every trace of Bella's delicious juices I could find with my tongue. To have Bella's sweetness coating my mouth turned me on even more. Bella was my safe haven, my favorite dessert and if not for her need to sleep and my throbbing cock I would live with my head in the paradise between her legs. My jeans were tight against me and I could barely focus anymore. I pulled my head from between Bella's creamy thighs to gain back a small amount of control. After a few moments I removed Bella's restraints and flipped her body over. Once she was flat on the bed I grabbed her hips and pulled her back into me bringing her onto all fours. She let out a gasp of air in surprise that quickly turned into a loud moan when she finally was able to comprehend my actions.

I admired Bella's naked body, her ass looked incredible in this position and I found myself gripping on to it, massaging it with my fingers before giving her a few quick smacks as she groaned and withered beneath me. The ache in my groin was getting unbearable and I had to rip my clothes from my body. At this point I didn't have the patience for buttons or zippers. Now that I had no clothes blocking my path it took all of my self control not to pound into her and snap her in half like a twig. I left open mouth kisses on the back of her neck and shoulders as Bella pushed her ass against my cock causing waves of pleasure to shoot through my body. Her impatience would be the death of me.

"Fuck me, Edward," she said as she peered over her shoulder at me biting on her lower lip, enticing me. She released her lip with a wicked glint in her eyes. "I'm all yours baby."

A growl ripped through my chest when she claimed herself as mine. Mine! I smacked her ass one more time before gripping both sides of her hips and ramming my cock all the way into her with one swift thrust. I heard her scream out my name and all I could think, feel, smell, hear, and taste was Bella.

"Edward!"

"So hot… so wet… fuck… MINE!"

I plowed into her just hard enough for my balls to smack against her clit with every thrust as she gripped the sheets and arched her back into me. Her walls were smooth, hot, and tight gripping onto me and holding me to her. I released another feral growl that drowned out the boom of more thunder as the storm raged on outside only egging me on further. My right hand moved up her back to where her chocolate brown locks lay against her pale alabaster skin.

"Oh, yes! Edward!" She screamed when I gripped onto her hair and tugged lightly, trying my best to be careful and hold back my instincts to pull harder.

"Mine!" I growled as I continued to move faster making sure to hit the spot that would make her putty in my all too willing hands. She trembled underneath of me, my possessive little minx. "You like it when I fuck you like I own you, don't you?"

"YES! Fuck, Yours!" She cried out as I pulled on her hair. She clenched tighter around me with increased arousal with every tug. That's when I realized that not only was my precious human dirty, but she liked it rough. Dear god, the things I could do to her if I changed her. I shook off the thought. I wouldn't do that, I couldn't do that.

I growled menacingly as my stomach began to tighten with my approaching climax, but I needed to feel her come first. Bella's inner walls were starting to spasm around my cock so I knew she was close, but she needed to come now because I wasn't going to last much longer.

"You're so close… fuck… you're going to come with me… Do you hear me, my dirty slut?" I asked in the commanding voice I know she loves as I tugged on her hair a little bit harder.

"Yes! Fuck, Edward… Anything! Ugh…" she whimpered and I felt my cock stiffen with my release.

"NOW!" I shouted and as soon as the word left my lips Bella's walls clamped down on my rock hard cock, milking me of my release as we both screamed the same word out in ecstasy.

"FUCK!"

A loud crack sounded in the air as lightning hit a tree on the borderline of the house and the tree collapsed with a thud as I pumped into her a few more times gradually slowing. Finally I fell on to the bed pulling a panting Bella onto me and hugging her close when I caught the thoughts of my family downstairs. Apparently they had stayed, although I honestly couldn't fathom why.

_GO EDDIE! Fuck, who knew Bella was such a freak?! It's always the quiet ones._

_Fucking vile! I can't believe he's fucking some disgusting human girl. I swear he better not fucking change her or I will rip his balls off and light them on fire._

_I need to get Alice out of here now, before I bend her over the couch and take her right here in front of everyone. This lust is killing me._

_I seriously need some brain bleach. Listening and seeing my brother and my best friend get off is disgusting. Well, at least Jazzy seems inspired._

_Oh dear, I should probably have Carlisle talk to him when he gets home._

I chuckled lightly as I rubbed circles on Bella's back. She looked up at me with her wild hair and a huge smile on her face accompanied by a bright red blush like she knew exactly what I was laughing at. I just swept the hair out of her face and kissed her lips lightly before giving her a small nod in confirmation. Bella giggled and then leaned forward to whisper lightly in my ear and I didn't have the heart to tell her that everyone would hear anyway so I let her do it.

"I wouldn't mind letting them hear round two, my dirty Edward."

I shook my head lightly in mock disapproval before responding.

"Later, you need to get some sleep, love."

She pouted her lips in disappoint, but I just proceeded to wrap her in the blanket and give her a soft kiss on the forehead. She needed sleep and I could not be selfish enough to keep her up all night.

"I love you, my Edward," she whispered against my chest.

"I love you, my Bella. More than words," I replied before I began humming her lullaby. I listened to the gentle rain and the soft thumping of her heart as she drifted quickly into a deep, peaceful, sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**BPOV**

**December 8, 2004**

These past two months have been the best of my life. Who would have thought something so amazing could come from something so horrific? Edward and I spend every free moment together; he makes me so… happy. I can't seem to go more than two minutes without a smile on my face.

The hunt for the violet eyed creature is still in full swing. Neither the wolves nor the Cullens have found anything of significance. I haven't spoken with Jacob since the day he got in the fight with Edward. In all honesty I didn't really want to talk to him. He didn't seem all that happy with the fact that I was with Edward and if he can't respect my decision than I guess he's not a very good friend. He left a few letters in my mailbox. They all said the same thing, but I'm sorry for trying to kill the leech doesn't seem to cut it.

Christmas break starts tomorrow and Charlie agreed to let me stay over at the Cullen's for the break. Thanks to both Esme and Carlisle who convinced him that they would keep a sharp eye on Edward and I. Thank goodness for Charlie's sake, and mine, that he didn't know that Edward had been spending every night in my room since the sleepover with "Alice". I had my bag packed and was finishing up putting dinner in the oven for Charlie as Edward watched me with the evil glint in his eye, I knew when he looked at me like that it was because he wanted me. I swayed my hips as I walked towards him taunting him a little.

"Love, you ready to go?" Edward asked in his velvety soft voice wrapping his arms around me. He nuzzled his face into my neck and took a deep breath of my scent. I love how he seems as addicted to me as I am to him.

"Yeah, just let me tell Charlie that I'm leaving, my Edward," I replied in a breathless voice with a smile. God, the things he does to me.

"Well, hurry back to me, my Bella," he whispered in my ear and I shivered with desire. I leaned into him and put my lips around his ear lobe suckling it a bit before whispering in the sexy voice that turned Edward into my own personal silly putty.

"What do I get if I do?"

His face lit up with a devilish grin as he pushed me into him. He pressed his erection against me and I let out a gasp of air before Edward's lips found solace against mine. He parted my lips and ran his tongue along mine allowing his peppermint sweetness to fill my mouth. I moaned in desperation and want into the deep cavern of his cool mouth sinking into a state of uninhibited need. After a few minutes he pulled away and blew his breath across my face. His butterscotch eyes sparkled with lust and I started to feel faint, but he held me close so I wouldn't fall.

"Now are we going to do as we're told, my pet? Or will I have to punish you?" he whispered, his voice thick with need. He knew exactly how to turn me into a puddle of mush.

My mouth and brain attempted to make a coherent sentence, but it wasn't working no matter how hard I tried. My mouth moved and no words came out making him chuckle which finally snapped me out of my Edward induced trance. He turned me towards the door and released me from his hold with a swift slap on my ass. I yelped softly giving him a devious smirk before mouthing the words, payback is a bitch, my Edward. He let out a soft needy groan and I rushed into the living room where Charlie was watching ESPN.

"I'm going to take off. Dinner's in the oven, it'll be done in 45 minutes. All you have to do is take it out," I said before leaning in to give Charlie a hug.

He jumped a little bit at first before hugging me back. He was still surprised when I hugged him, like he wasn't expecting it, even though I did it all the time now. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated him.

"Be good, Bells," he said giving me a stern look. Then he turned his attention back to the television and I walked out of the house.

Edward was seated in the Volvo waiting for me and as I stepped out the front door he gave me his signature crocked smile. I opened the passenger door and the heat from the heater hit me full blast.

"Whoa! Why don't you turn up the heat a little more? That way I can marinate in my own sweat before you cook me alive," I stated sarcastically sitting and reaching for the dial to turn the heat down.

"Sorry, love, it's just that you can get sick so easy. I worry about you. You know that," he replied as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His eyes sparkled for a moment and I knew he was trying to dazzle me. I turned my gaze away from him so I could speak without being manipulated.

"Damn it, Edward. You can't dazzle me every time we disagree about something. I'm a big girl. You don't need to coddle me all the time."

Edward's face took on a mask of indifference as we pulled away from my house. I knew I had upset him, but he needed to learn that he couldn't treat me like some china doll. He certainly doesn't treat me like that when we're humping like bunnies. I hated when we argued. I know that it's apart of every relationship, it's how people learn to compromise with each other and grow as a couple, but it hurts me to see him hurt. We pulled up in front of the Cullen's house and I turned to face Edward, but he was already around the car opening my door. I stood and placed one hand on each of his cheeks and gave him a bright smile.

"Try and understand, my Edward. I just don't want to be treated like a child. I'm 17 years old and I know how to take care of myself. Okay?" I asked and Edward's lips pulled up into a smile as he nodded his head. "Good, now let's get inside, I promised Emmett that I would play Mario Kart Wii with him."

He let out a soft chuckle as he guided me into the house where Emmett stood waiting with the Wii steering wheel in hand. Jasper sat on the couch behind him giving a shy smile and a tentative wave. He still wasn't completely comfortable having me around all the time, but he was getting used to it. It always caught me off guard how incredibly gorgeous he was. His blonde curls went perfectly with his golden eyes. He definitely wasn't as big as Emmett, but he had some defined muscles. Jasper Whitlock lost his battle for humanity during the civil war so it made sense that he wasn't burly like Emmett considering soldiers had little to eat back then.

I waved back enthusiastically and gave him a huge smile. Some time during my stay I would need to have a talk with him. Alice told me that the main reason he's uncomfortable other than that he's scared he'll hurt me is because he thinks that _I'm_ scared he will hurt me. He's almost absolutely oblivious to my feelings, typical male. Even though he's an empath and can feel exactly what I'm feeling he has diluted himself into believing that I'm scared of him and that's not true and definitely not acceptable.

"Are you ready to be destroyed, Jelly Belly?" Emmett taunted handing me one of the controllers.

I pulled my attention away from Jasper the moment my new nick name came out of his mouth. He had taken to calling me Jelly Belly after he found me sneaking jelly beans throughout the day so I wouldn't have to waste time with big meals. Needless to say, Edward and Esme were not pleased to discover that 95 percent of my nutrition was coming from candy.

"Depends, are you ready to be annihilated, Emmy Bear?" I taunted back with a smirk.

Lucky for me I had discovered last week that Emmett was mauled to death by a bear. Rosalie found him in the woods dying and she begged Carlisle to change him. Turns out the bitch does have a heart. Anyways, after he was changed he became obsessed with bears. With a little help from Alice I found his massive collection of bears in a small cabin hidden in the woods. From floor to ceiling there were bear skin rugs, wall mounted heads, and everything bears related. Not to mention it was filled to the hilt with stuffed teddy bears.

Emmett chuckled at my nick name. He loved it almost as much as he seemed to love me. Although I knew that it wasn't possible for any of the Cullens to love me as much as I loved each of them it was nice to know they cared.

"Now let's make this interesting, Emmy," I stated with a wink.

If there is one thing I have learned about the Cullens in the last two months it's that they love betting almost as much as they love each other. So, I was going to use my awesome Mario Kart skills to gain some well deserved respect from my adopted big bro.

"Best two out of three. Courses are to be chosen by the winner with the first course being chosen by Jasper," I said and Jasper gave me a nod in approval.

Emmett let out a booming laugh before wiping away a fake tear from his eye and giving me a pat on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of me. Edward released a snarl and I held my hand up and gave him an eye roll. He quickly relaxed taking his seat back on the couch, but pulled me on top of him and wrapped his arms around me whispering a quiet apology. I just shook my head and smiled at him, silly over protective vampire. Emmett's laughter subsided and he stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Alright, but if I win you have to drink a cup of blood," Emmett responded with an evil smirk.

Crap, so much for calming down Edward. He jumped up not even bothering to place me on my feet. I hit the ground with a thud as he clashed into Emmett growling in a way that actually made my arousal pool despite my anger. Jasper sensed my distress and sent me a wave of rage. He knew that I would be the only one to resolve the situation and anger was my best ally at this point. I stood up and slammed my foot into the ground causing a tingle of pain to shoot up my leg from the force.

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN!" I fumed and the fight came to an abrupt halt.

"You need to realize something, Edward. You are not my father. My father is dead and he's never coming back. I don't need to be coddled, I need to be loved and respected," I shouted angry. I paused to let that sink in before continuing, more irritated and hurt than angry at this point. "I can make my own damn decisions. Now get the hell off Emmett and sit down or leave. I love you, Edward, but you need to get it through your thick marble skull that you can't really love me if you don't respect me."

I glared at him willing the tears that filled my eyes not to spill. I'm sure he was hearing in Jasper's thoughts exactly what I was feeling. Edward had no respect for my opinion and no matter how much I loved him that was not something I would tolerate. Edward looked truly anguished by my words as he stood and fled out of the house at vampire speed. Within seconds Alice had flown down the stairs and caught me as I fell to the floor turning into a sobbing mess while she stroked my hair. She lifted me up and carried me upstairs to her room where she rocked me from side to side for hours. When the crying became too much my head started to throb and slowly I succumbed to sleep.

Hours later I awoke to hushed voices in deep conversation. I strained to hear what the voices were saying, but could only understand a few words. It sounded like Alice and Edward, but what they were talking about made no sense.

"…need to tell her," Alice said in her irritated pixie voice.

"…can't… she won't understand…don't want her to be…," Edward replied with hurt evident in his velvety voice.

"…you don't… I will… tomorrow morning… her decision, not yours…," Alice responded before slamming a door shut.

I drifted back to dreamless sleep for a couple more hours and awoke feeling slightly overheated, most likely from too many blankets. Edward was in the room, his peppermint scent filled my nose and I wanted so much to wrap my arms around him and forgive him, but I wouldn't allow myself to do that. My eyelids fluttered open and I discovered I was lying underneath the dark blue comforter I was highly accustomed to. I peered over the blanket and found Edward at the edge of the bed. The sun drifted in through the window landing on his skin and I gasped when I realized what it was doing to him.

Wherever the sun touched him it made him sparkle like the most beautiful diamonds I had ever seen. Rainbows of light emitted from him and he truly looked like an angel. For a moment I thought I actually had died, but when I looked more closely at his face I was able to make out his anguished expression. Angels could never be as sad as he appeared to be, at least not in any heaven I wanted to be in.

He looked at me and I knew that my face would be an expression of awe. He was beautiful and I hoped he realized that, but the expression on his face turned to sorrow as he watched me gaze upon him. He must have hunted after he left because when he turned to look at me his eyes were a captivating liquid topaz from the fresh animal blood. He leaned towards me and grazed my cheek with his hand. There was electricity at his touch like always, but there was also something more, restraint.

"It's nothing you should admire, love. This is the skin of a killer, a soulless monster," he stated and it was clear on his face and in his velvet hard voice how true he thought the statement was. His face and voice turned to agony as he continued. He was obviously pained by his own words. "You're in love with a possessive, blood thirsty, sick, masochistic vampire and instead of running away and leaving you I stayed for my own selfish happiness. Now you want me to change you, a fate worse than death."

Edward removed his hand from my cheek and placed his head in his hands. I let out a loud gasp as I covered my mouth with my hands because he had discovered what I was sure no one knew about. He knew I wanted to be changed. I had decided on this right after our first date, but I hadn't told anybody not even Alice. I even tried changing my mind over and over again to keep it from her so that Edward wouldn't find out until I was ready to talk to him about it. Guess it doesn't work when you're so dead set on a decision. After the sleepover I would ask him about being changed, but made sure to form all my questions in a way that they wouldn't be suspicious. When he had tip toed around one specific question repeatedly I finally went over his head and asked Alice what being changed was like.

From my research I knew I would need to be bitten and injected with venom, but I learned from Alice that it's almost impossible for a vampire to stop themselves from draining a human dry. If they were able to stop the human would suffer through 3 days of excruciating agony to be changed. Alice described it as being burned alive. Although that did not sound ideal to me anything that gave me Edward forever would be worth it even if it meant suffering a horrifying mortal death.

It was clear that he was not happy with my decision, but the real question was would he do it anyway because it's what I want. I tossed the blanket from my body with surprising speed and grabbed his arm. He allowed me to pull it away from his face and I took a deep breath to gain the courage to speak.

"You are not a monster, my Edward. I love you… I love you more than I could ever love anyone else. I merely existed until I found you."

I crawled on to his lap and straddled him grabbing his face in both my hands. I stared hard into his topaz eyes willing my words into his very soul, which I was positive he had even if he didn't think so.

"I want you to change me because one life time isn't long enough. I want forever with you, Edward Cullen."

His face turned to a mask of concern as he wrapped his arms around my waist responding in an emotionless voice.

"What about your parents? Don't you want to see them again some day? It's no guarantee that creatures like me go to heaven, love. That's a lot to give up for me…Is that really what you want?"

I nodded my head slightly and gave him a loving smile as I brushed my hands through his hair before responding.

"Heaven without my angel wouldn't be heaven at all. My parents will understand, besides I've said my goodbyes to them. They will always be a part of my past, but you, Edward, you're my future, my destiny."

Edward rubbed my back in soothing circles as his concerned expression morphed to one of understanding. He remained quiet for several minutes while I caressed his hair, running my fingers lightly through it before he leaned in and captured my lips with his. He kissed me gently applying just enough pressure to make my head spin. My fingers latched on to his hair as I moaned and ground my body against his feeling his erection against my heated center.

His lips trailed from my lips to the spot right underneath my ear and I panted softly as he suckled lightly on my skin. The sun light that had been illuminating Edward's skin became blocked off by the soft clouds of a winter storm and as snow began to fall I felt my arousal soak through the thin black cotton underwear I was wearing. I whimpered at his feather soft touch as his hands moved under the matching tank top to gently massage my breasts. He lightly tugged at my taut nipples and I lost all coherent thought.

He pulled the tank top over my head and the moment my breasts were exposed he began to tease my nipples with his tongue. He laid me back and his lips began to trail lower down my body until he got to the waistband of my panties. Grabbing onto them with his teeth gently he ripped them from my body and I let out a yelp. Edward gave me a loving smile before whispering softly against my skin.

"You're so beautiful. I wish you would never wear clothes."

I felt his tongue press lightly on my clit and my hands flew to Edward's hair tugging him closer to me as I screamed.

"Edward!"

His lips turned up into a smile against my skin before he began licking at me slowly, torturing me. The only thing more amazing then his tongue was his cock. He curled his tongue against me and I shuddered in agonizing pleasure. Never mind definitely a tie.

"Fuck, I love you!" I shouted and he swiveled his tongue on my clit. I knew the more I talked the more turned on he would get. Edward loved dirty just as much as, if not more than, I did. "Oh, Edward, just like that."

He growled in to me and pulled me closer to his mouth devouring me with his tongue while he groped my breasts in his hands and tugged at my nipples. I felt my legs shaking as my grip on his hair tightened. I could feel the coil in my stomach winding and I knew I was getting close. He growled in to me one more time and I was about to come when he pulled his head out from between my legs.

I whimpered at the loss and he gave me a devilish grin. I heard the rip of clothes and without warning he rammed his cock into me causing me to arch my back and grip onto his thighs. He growled when my fingers pushed against his skin which sent a wave of pleasure through my body forcing my head back. He leaned in to me so he could graze my nipple with his tongue and I couldn't help the obnoxiously loud words that escaped my lips.

"Shit, all yours… ugh fuck,"

He pushed into me slow, but hard rocking in and out of me with amazing accuracy, hitting the spot that made my toes curl unconsciously.

"That's right baby, all mine! This pussy," he pinched my clit and I yelped. "These perfect tits," he twisted my nipple between his fingers and caressed the other with his tongue. "This perfectly round ass," he grabbed my ass and thrust into me harder. "It's all mine…forever."

My eyes snapped open and I caught the brilliant crocked smile that lit his face. I realized what he meant and I couldn't contain my excitement. I latched my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine trying to convey all the passion I felt for him. He moaned into my mouth and I could almost feel my heart pressing against my rib cage growing to large for my small chest to contain.

He leaned back to allow me to breath and continued to push into me, but moving faster now as he began shaking with his own impending release. His hands moved under my arms to latch onto my shoulder allowing him to penetrate me even deeper. My hands moved to his back pressing against him as I thrust in rhythm with him. Random bits of thoughts escaped my mouth as my stomach tightened once again.

"FUCK! Forever, oh, fuck… Always yours… All yours… yes… fuck… I'm… I'm…,"

"That's it baby, come for master," Edward replied in his husky commanding voice and that was my undoing. I began to shake and spasm with my climax as I felt Edward stiffen within me. He slammed into me a few more times releasing a feral growl as his cool liquid filled me.

"MINE!"

He collapsed onto the bed pulling me into his arms and I squeezed him in a tight hug.

"I love you, my Edward," I whispered curling my fingers on his chest.

"I love you, my Bella… forever," he whispered back placing a light kiss on my forehead.

Heaven had nothing on Edward Cullen.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**EPOV**

I stroked Bella's silky brown locks as she slept and contemplated my sanity. Why the hell did I just agree to that? The answer is simple really. You could say it was because I loved Bella Swan or that I was unable to deny her anything. Both of these theories would be true, but that's not the reason I agreed. I know that deep down I agreed because I truly want her forever. I want to spend the rest of existence with Bella. There would be no children, no growing old, but there would be forever and I, being the selfish creature that I am, would get my happily ever after. The prince has found his princess and he would never want to let her go.

Bella stirred slightly in her sleep and I peered into the face of the unconscious angel before me. Her hair was disheveled from our earlier activities and her features were calm and relaxed with sleep. Her heart beat was slow in her chest and her small hot arms were wrapped tightly around me curling me in her humanity. I watched her with ever growing excitement waiting for the secret words of Bella's subconscious to slip through her supple lips. This is the only time she couldn't hide her thoughts from me and I enjoyed every second especially now that these moments were numbered.

"Edward…, Mine… forever," Bella mumbled and a small smile found her lips mirroring mine. That's all the reassurance I needed. I would change Bella Swan. There were just two things I wanted for her before I took her from her mortal life. She would have to finish school, she would do it a hundred times over, but she deserved that human experience. Once that was complete I would finally do her and her late father justice by asking this exquisite creature to be my wife. It would of course be customary to ask for her Uncle's permission, which I fully intended to do, but in all honesty he could tell me no and I would still ask her. My mother's ring lay in wait for that moment like my ever still heart.

"Mmm…, I love you, my Edward… more than words," She mumbled again through tired lips and I seriously fought the urge to wake her up and ask her right now. I wanted so much for her to be my wife, for me to be her husband. Patience is a virtue that I had possessed all my years. When you have eternity the passage of time is irrelevant. Yet, at this moment I would give everything I ever owned to speed up time, I would not be whole until this beautiful woman agreed to become my wife. Bella drifted back into a deep sleep and I, with great regret, removed her arms from around me.

The family needed to be told of the decision we had made. I removed myself from the room and the moment I shut the door behind me Alice was standing in front of me, a beaming smile plastered on her pixie face. Her arms latched around me and I'm sure if Bella was awake Alice would be squealing with joy. As it was she was already shaking from head to toe with excitement.

"Oh, Edward, this is the best decision you have ever made," Alice declared as she released me from her tight pixie hug and skipped off down the hall. I watched her skip down the stairs while I listened to her thoughts and I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped my lips.

_Another sister, oh she will be even more perfect as one of us. I wonder if she'll let me plan the wedding. A summer wedding would be gorgeous._

Leave it to Alice to begin planning our future when I haven't even asked her yet. I came to a pause in front of Carlisle's office on the second floor I knew that's where he would be and before I had the opportunity to knock he ushered me in.

_Come in, Edward._

I opened the door and found Carlisle sitting behind his desk shuffling through papers. He had been doing non stop research on the violet eye creatures. So far he's been unable to find anything of significance.

"What can I do for you, son?" He asked with a bright smile after placing the papers aside. His full attention was now focused on me. Attention I would have never received from my real father. After I shut the door behind me I gave him a smile in return and sat on the chair in front of his desk. Quickly I searched the house for the thoughts of my family. Everyone was home and that would make this conversation very short. Rose would not be happy. I was about to rethink my decision, possibly telling the family as a whole instead of allowing everyone to overhear our conversation would be better, when Alice's thoughts struck me.

_This is the best way to do this, Edward. I'm going to take Rose hunting. We're leaving right now. I know you want them all to know so we won't go out of hearing range. She won't take this well, but if I take her away from the house I see her taking her anger out on a pack of deer instead of you and Bella._

That's all the encouragement I needed.

"Well, I have something I wanted to tell you," I said running a hand through my hair in a nervous, but excited gesture.

"Is everything alright?" Carlisle asked with a look of concern.

_Is Bella okay?! I can hear her heartbeat she sounds fine._

"Of course, everything is wonderful actually." I replied with a nervous laugh. "It's just Bella has asked me for something and I wanted to receive your blessing in the matter. I think very highly of you, I'm sure you know that. You're more of a father to me than my real father ever was. You've seen me through my worst moments and never turned your back on me and I take your opinion in the highest regard. I've already made my decision, but I would very much like your support."

"Thank you, Edward, in my eyes you truly are my son no one could convince me otherwise. I have an idea where you're going with this and it was only a matter of time. Bella has brought out a side of you that I have never seen before. A part of you I didn't even know existed. You were a shell of a person, half of a person, before she came along. We have all grown attached to her and I would love nothing more than to welcome her into our family, to become a _true_ Cullen in every way. If that is what she wants you have my blessing and my unwavering support, my son," Carlisle responded with fatherly pride and genuine happiness. His eyes sparkled brightly with a light I had never seen before and I couldn't help, but tap into his thoughts.

_She is perfect for him and him for her. They deserve nothing more and nothing less than eternity. A complete family based solely on love for one another, this is the greatest gift god could ever give me._

"Thank you, father," I said with immense gratitude. "I'm hoping I can convince her to complete school first she only has 5 months left there and she deserves that experience. Sometime before graduation I plan to ask her to marry me…The only thought more wonderful than having her for eternity is having her as _my wife_ for eternity."

I couldn't help the grin on my face when I said the words my wife. Carlisle must have noticed because he was practically radiating with happiness. The moment was cut short at the thoughts of a certain member of my family who was definitely not pleased.

_That pig headed son of a bitch! Selfish bastard! What is wrong with him?! He's going to change her and the Volturi will come after us. He's jeopardizing the family's safety…_

I ignored her after that, that bitch would not bring me down with her. This is what Bella and I both want and she doesn't deserve an opinion in the matter.

"Now, we will need to discuss the process with Bella. Get her prepared for the change in every way possible. I would like to speak with both of you after she wakes up," Carlisle said as he shuffled through some papers. He was in full on doctor mode, thinking of all the minute details. I decided I would leave him to his thoughts. I stood up and turned to leave when he called out to me.

"Edward?"

_I'm very happy for you both._

I acknowledged his thoughts with a nod and a smile before I rushed out of the room. I found Esme in the kitchen going over blueprints for our next home.

_Bella will need a library. I could put shelves lining the walls of the sitting room attached to their room… That would look lovely. Another daughter, how can I possibly be so blessed?_

When I walked in she promptly wrapped me in a motherly hug. My real mother, Elizabeth, would have loved Esme. She reminded me so much of her sometimes. It warmed my cold still heart to think that Elizabeth would be thrilled to have someone as wonderful as Esme to take over the role as my mother. Esme has always been so much more than just a replacement. She truly was my mother.

"I am so happy for you, dear," Esme said when she released me from her hold with a kiss on the cheek. "Bella is wonderful and you are very lucky to have her."

"I really am, mom," I replied giving her a kiss on the forehead before joining Jasper and Emmett in the living room where I was tackled quickly to the floor by an ecstatic Emmett.

"This is awesome! Newborns are so much fun, bro. Plus, I'm sure the sex will be fantastic. You won't have to worry about being careful at all anymore," Emmett blurted out as he scrunched my hair with his knuckles.

I flipped him off of me and he landed on the carpet with a thud. For a moment I was worried we had woken Bella, but her heart rate was still steady and relaxed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but the sex is already fantastic, Emmett. But unless you're the first deaf vampire in existence you already knew that." I said giving him a smug smile.

Jasper laughed and gave me a high five. Emmett quickly joined in. After several minutes we calmed down and Jasper gave me a pat on the back. I could feel the pride and joy pouring off of him.

"Poor Bella, stuck with horrible fake orgasm sex for all eternity," Jasper said shaking his head with mock sadness. "Don't worry, Eddie, I can take care of her for you."

Emmett gave Jasper a high five and the laughing broke out again. In that moment we were typical teenage boys, rough housing and ribbing each other. Once the laughing ceased for the second time both my brothers looked at me, huge smiles on their faces. When I listened into their thoughts I realized the true meaning of brotherly love.

_This couldn't have happened to a better person. The love that radiates of those two is indescribable._

_About damn time he decides to change her. She's going to make one hell of a vampire. They deserve this no matter what Rose says._

After acknowledging the thoughts of each one of my brothers with a nod I headed back up stairs. The sun was coming up and Bella would be up soon. Forever couldn't come soon enough.

**TPOV (Tanya)**

I couldn't wait until Christmas. We were going to visit the Cullens and Edward would finally realize how right I am for him. When I first met him I had never seen anybody so incredibly delicious in my entire life. He was charming, smart, sensitive, a little brooding, but I fell head over heels in love with Edward Cullen. I tried using my pheromone manipulation ability on him, but he seemed immune. I thought I could get him the old fashioned way, flirting and coercing, but that didn't work either so I have waited patiently for him to come around. This will be the time that Edward accepts my advances, I'm positive because I have help.

I know he's with someone. Some disgusting excuse for a woman, a human, but the only reason he's even with that filthy human is because he was a virgin. I have pined after him for decades getting rejection after rejection, but it all makes sense to me now. He just needed to get some practice because he would feel awkward being with me without having any experience. He knows I've been with others and he wanted to be good enough for me. How thoughtful of him. Oh, the things I can teach him. I can do things with my tongue that will make his toes curl. I chuckled lightly at the thought, I can't wait.

"Tanya! You left your cell phone in the kitchen. Rose is calling you." Carmen called from downstairs.

"Coming," I said with glee in my voice. This was the call I had been waiting for. They had finally broken up and Edward would be all mine. We would become mates and get married and I would finally be Mrs. Tanya Cullen. I picked up the phone and called Rose back, she answered on the first ring.

"Rosie, how are things? I'm so excited to see you all on Christmas!" I exclaimed.

"Edward's going to change her! Then he's going to marry her! Can you believe that?! I'm so fucking mad right now, Tans. What an insensitive prick!" Rose screamed into my ear.

My heart dropped into my stomach and all I could see was red. That bitch was not going to have what's mine! Edward is MINE! I was fuming barely able to see two feet in front of me and I could hear Rose ranting in my ear, but couldn't make out the words. I needed to calm myself. Edward was doing this to make Esme and Carlisle happy that's it or to protect his fuck buddy from the Volturi… yeah that has to be it. The red started to dissipate and I was finally able to speak.

"Oh, Rosie, it's alright I'm sure he's just trying to protect this girl is all. You know what the Volturi would do if they found out about her," I said trying to calm her down while protecting myself.

"Tans, what he's doing won't work. Adding on to our already large family will only draw attention to us. The Volturi will take us out for sure." Rose replied clearly concerned for the family's well being.

"Your right, but I have a plan, hon. I have everything taken care of, don't worry yourself," I responded. "I'll be there in a few weeks, than it will all be fine."

I would go now, but I needed time to get in contact with Drake. With the change in plans his ability would be required.

"Thanks, Tans. You're the best." Rose said and I could tell she was feeling better. She was okay now, but honestly I really didn't care all that much. She was just a simple pawn in my overall plan.

"No problem, Rosie. See you for Christmas, Bye." I said and she barely had time to say goodbye before I clicked the end button.

I immediately dialed Drake's number. Nomads don't often keep cell phones, but he had gotten one to stay in touch with me. Gag me with a spoon. My pheromone manipulation works so well on him I could get him to do anything. He picked up on the first ring as well.

"TANS! Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you, baby," He said ecstatically. "You need daddy to come over and take care of you?"

"Aw, you're such a charmer, Drake. I need you to meet me at our normal spot in 30 minutes. I'll be waiting," I said my voice laced in pheromones and then hung up the phone. I didn't need an answer, he would show. Edward Cullen will be mine even if I have to go kill that human bitch myself.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**EPOV**

Bella was stirring from sleep her eyes fluttered open and the look on her face was as pure as the snow that covered the ground. Her lips stretched in a delicate yawn as she reached her arm out to me and snuggled in closer with a content sigh.

"Good morning, love," I praised in my velvet voice while gently stroking her back with my finger tips.

She peered up at me with those entrancing brown orbs and my cold heart warmed. I gave her a soft smile before chastely kissing her forehead.

"I can't wait for forever," I murmured against her skin breathing in her throat itching strawberry scent. Her brows furrowed in confusion when I pulled away and then went wide with understanding. She hugged me tighter with elation tugging me as close as possible to her. I chuckled softly at her over joyous reaction rubbing her back when she squeezed me with what was surely all the strength her tiny body could exuberate.

"It was real?" She asked after releasing me her eyes twinkled with happiness and I simply nodded in response. Her lips pulled up in the most glorious smile I had ever seen and I couldn't help myself I needed to kiss her, to feel her warm lips pressed in heated passion against mine. I kissed her feverishly drowning in the sweet berry taste of her. Her hot breath hit me like a ton of bricks and my need for her built. My hand locked around the back of her knee and I pulled it over my hip so she was straddling me and the feel was indescribable.

She moaned into my mouth as her tongue fought against mine. My hands traveled up her sides and underneath her tank top until they reached the paradise that is Bella's curvaceous wonderful breasts. She shuttered when my thumbs grazed over her nipples and I could feel her dripping wet arousal through my pants. When the smell of it hit my nostrils the need overtook me. I needed to be inside her, I needed to feel her heat encasing me. With vampire speed I released my throbbing cock and ripped the panties Bella had already soaked from her body. I stuffed them in my pocket to keep for later. I already had quite a stock of ripped Bella panties. Bella groaned and yanked off her shirt releasing her sensational breasts and all I could do was growl. Word's were inadequate at the moment.

My hands gripped onto her hips and I brought her down slowly onto me reveling in the feel of her slick heat as it surrounded me. Her head flew back as she released an almost animalistic moan. I guided her gently up and down my length feeling her walls grip me with every movement. Her panting increased as her hands rested against my chest for support curling in at the overwhelming sensation.

"Oh, Edward, I love you…ugh I love you so much…," she whimpered and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. I could feel tears welling up in my own eyes ones that would never fall.

I had never felt anything so powerful in my life. The need, the heat, the electricity that was surging through us both was all consuming just like my love for this incredible woman. Her mewling noises filled the room and every part of my body. I wanted her to come for me, but I also never wanted this feeling to end. Nothing could ever feel this wonderful. I thrust up into her and her fingers clenched more now in tight fists against my stone cold chest.

"Ugh, Bella god I love you… everything about you… the way you pant my name… the sound of your giggle… the way you complete me… so much ugh so much…," I moaned and growled between my incomplete phrases of utter adoration. The tears that had been threatening Bella's eyes began to fall splattering onto my chest as she thrust back against me, moving her self faster on my length. I guided her ministrations with one hand as I caressed her breasts with the other. Her walls began to throb around me and I knew she was about to come. My own need for release increased and I was quickly beginning to stiffen within her.

"Come with me, my Bella," I whimpered practically begging. She sped up and as she rode me the rest of the world disappeared. The only thing I could focus on was Bella.

"Edward, oh yes… yes…," she whimpered with need and with one final thrust up I released my seed as her walls milked me coating me with her juices.

She collapsed on top of me trapping my mouth with hers and we rode the waves of our combined release moaning and panting into the fire and ice mixture of our mouths. Bella was heaven on earth.

The days passed quickly, when Bella and I weren't busy making love we spent time with the family. Alice was nowhere to be seen. Most likely she was doing last minute Christmas shopping. Whenever she was around I could tell from her thoughts that she was frustrated. It seems her visions have been extremely fuzzy lately we think it might be because of the wolves or possibly the violet eyed creature, but we aren't exactly sure. Bella grew closer to everyone, but Rosalie. Jasper had been worried that Bella was frightened of him so she cornered him and they had an extensive discussion on the subject, which made him feel much better about being around her. They discovered they both shared a love for chess. Bella apparently had been taught by her father quite young on the strategies of the game. They spent hours playing it sometimes ending up in a tie where neither of them could make another move.

Rosalie kept her distance and spent a majority of time with Emmett in the garage doing everything from an oil change to a full on engine swap to maintain her distance from Bella. From her thoughts I had concluded that Rosalie didn't really hate Bella her main concern was for the safety of our family. She was not keen on Bella's decision to become a vampire because she feels it would jeopardize the family's standing with the Volturi. When I finally explained the Volturi to Bella she of course reacted in a way only Bella would.

_We were in Carlisle's study late one night looking through some old files Carlisle had on vampire transformations and she noticed the rather large painting on the wall. She examined it closely studying the four figures in the painting and quickly recognized Carlisle as one of them._

" _Edward, who are these three vampires standing with Carlisle?" She asked perplexed and it seemed a good a time as any to explain them._

" _They're the Volturi, a coven of very powerful vampires. You could say they are what my world considers royalty." I replied. "The coven consists of Aro, Caius, and Marcus who live in Volterra, Italy with their wives and guard. Each member of the guard has been extensively trained in combat and most of them have been personally recruited by Aro for their exceptional gifts. Aro collects them you could say."_

" _Why do they need all those guards?" She questioned. Her curiosity of my kind always astounded me._

" _The Volturi enforce vampire laws. We really only have one law though, keep the secret. Any vampire who breaks the law is sentenced to death and the Volturi do not hesitate to kill any human or vampire who threatens to expose us." I responded and Bella's face turned to utter horror._

" _Oh my god, Edward, if they find out about me they'll kill you! How could you endanger yourself like that?" she exclaimed. Her concern was all about me, not about herself and it never ceased to amaze me how much she truly put everyone she cared about before herself. She would die for me, course I would never allow that to happen._

" _Don't worry, love, we're just going to lay low until after graduation. After I have changed you it won't matter if they know about you or not," I stated trying to ease her worry by wrapping my arms around here and resting my chin on the top of her head._

" _I suppose you're right…So why did Carlisle leave? He always wanted companionship so why not stay with the Volturi? You told me how he was changed, that his priest father had him hunt vampires is that why? Did they not accept him because of it?" she questioned. My Bella always wanted more information, details._

" _No, the Volturi never cared about that. At first he stayed for companionship, but they did not agree with his diet, love. If you notice their eyes are red, that's because they feed on humans. That's not the only reason he left though. The Volturi are very cruel and Carlisle could not handle living in a world full of cruelty and inhumanity. Even though he is a vampire he has always believed he has a soul and he would not risk it," I said kissing the back of her hair._

We hadn't discussed the Volturi much after that. In fact the only other time we discussed them was when I mentioned their powers. Caius' power is very simple, but powerful; he can tell when people are lying and can force anyone to tell the truth. Marcus can detect the strength of bonds and also has the ability to break or separate these bonds as he sees fit. Aro, the most revered leader, can read every thought a person has ever had with one simple touch. This is the reason that we avoided the Volturi like the plague. Carlisle was concerned that if we ever came in contact with them that they would recruit us for their guard. They would use Marcus' gift to recruit guard members giving the illusion that the guards joined on their own free will when in all reality they were simply unable to say no.

I hoped for Bella's sake that she would never meet the Volturi, even after I changed her. I'm positive Aro would try to use her to get to me if he ever got the chance and then dispose of her like the sick demented bastard he is. We would continue to avoid the Volturi as much as possible less any of us want to end up like Sasha Denali. The Denalis are the only other coven that we know of that exist like we do. Kate, Irina, and Tanya were all created by Sasha. They looked up to her as a mentor, loved her like a mother.

Sasha ached for a child though the rules strictly forbid vampires to change any human under the age of 15, before the mind is capable of understanding the repercussions of its actions. Vampire children could not be controlled and therefore had been outlawed to protect our secret. The Volturi discovered that Sasha had created an immortal child, a young boy she named Vasilii. They slaughtered her and the boy, but spared Kate, Irina and Tanya. Sasha had hidden Vasilii from her daughters and that was the only thing that saved them from her fate. We met the Denalis shortly after Sasha's death, they were devastated.

It was the day before Christmas and the family was all looking forward to our visit from the Denalis who were arriving this evening. Two others joined the Denalis after the death of Sasha and Vasilii. Carmen and Eleazar took over the role of friends and parents for the girls. I personally was excited about seeing Carmen, Eleazar, Irina, and Kate, but Tanya was another story. She was traumatized from the death of Sasha I think it honestly made her a little crazy. She could not take no for an answer and for decades has thrown her self at me.

I tried letting her down easy at first and when that didn't work I became more assertive I had at one point slapped her. I didn't mean to, but she really had gone overboard. I heard from Rose that she was bringing a friend of hers this year, a nomad named Drake. I truly hoped Drake would become her mate and she would leave me be. Bella was the only one I had eyes for and I wouldn't want her being attacked by Tanya.

When I returned from hunting I found Bella still playing chess with Jasper. They had been playing for hours and seemed to be at a stand still. I came up behind her wrapped my arms around her and moved her hair so I could kiss the spot below her ear. Bella shivered and a small giggle escaped her lips which made me chuckle.

"Love, would you mind taking a walk with me?" I asked knowing with one look at the game board that they had tied once again.

"Sure. Well, another tie Jasper, but I'll win next time," she teased.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Bella. You know I'll destroy you at chess any day," Jasper ribbed with a snort and a smirk.

They both laughed and Bella grabbed my hand. We strolled out of the house and walked at a human pace towards the end of the long drive way.

"I probably should have told you this earlier, my Bella," I stated as I rubbed her hand with my thumb. "You already know the Denalis are coming tonight, I care for them like family, but there is one that I want you to be especially cautious about. I don't believe Tanya Denali is very stable. After the death of her mother we all think she went a little crazy. For decades she has thrown herself at me and no matter how many times I have told her that her feelings for me are not reciprocated it has not deterred her. She appears to be doing better, but I want you to remain watchful of her. If she does anything that upsets you or scares you, let any one of us know right away."

She stopped walking and turned towards me grabbing my hand between both of hers and rubbing it in a loving gesture. Her face was a mask of concern and worry.

"Is she beautiful, like you I mean?" She asked and I was slightly taken back by the question.

"That depends on what you think is beautiful. She's pale with strawberry blonde hair and of course golden eyes. Her and Rose have been both close friends and bitter rivals since the day we all met." I replied and Bella's lips turned down in a frown. I released one of my hands from her grip and placed it upon her cheek rubbing it gently with my fingertips in an attempt to sooth her. "What is it that has you so upset, love?"

"Why are you with me when she is clearly the better choice? If her beauty compares to that of Rosalie's why would you even bother with some one as ordinary as me?" She questioned nuzzling her cheek against my hand as a single tear crept down her cheek.

I wiped the tear away with my thumb and pulled her flush against me with my other arm as I stared deep into her eyes.

"My silly Bella, no one could ever compare to you. You are the most stunning creature to ever walk this planet." I stated with a smile and she responded with a shy uneasy smile of her own. "Besides I prefer brunettes."

Her smile grew a tiny bit larger still uneasy. I shook my head trying to convey to her how absurd she seemed, but the concern still masked her face. This had gone on long enough. With my arm still around her waist I moved the hand that was on her cheek to the back of her neck and crashed my lips onto hers. She stumbled slightly which made me chuckle internally as I wrapped my fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck. She moaned into the kiss and quickly responded by trapping my hair in her warm grasp tugging me closer to her.

Her heart pounded in her chest which made my throat itch, but I pushed past it allowing myself to savor the sweet taste of Bella's lips and tongue. Her breathing labored as the need for oxygen increased and I released her. She swayed in my arms and I laughed at how disorientated she was which quickly snapped her out of her daze. When her eyes finally opened to mine again blood rushed underneath her cheeks turning them into a precious shade of pink.

"You're so beautiful," I said in awe as I brushed her hair out of her face. "Now let's get you out of the cold. They'll be here soon."

She smiled wide squeezing my hand in hers as we strolled back towards the house. There was still a sense of uneasiness about her. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

**BPOV**

I don't know what it is about Tanya that made me so nervous, but for some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that she was out to get me or more specifically Edward. When we got back to the house we joined the others in the living room where they all waited for the Denalis to arrive. Edward played the piano for a little bit, Christmas songs of course before joining me beside the fire. The tree lit up the room beautifully and Alice had stocked nearly the entire living room full of presents. Knowing her there would be at least $100,000 worth of gifts in the room. Esme made me some cookies and brought out hot cocoa to drink. I quickly drank the hot cocoa letting it warm my insides. The cookies were delicious, but after 3 or 4 I couldn't eat another bite.

Alice was still struggling with her visions, but she was certain the Denalis would be arriving at 8 o'clock sharp and right now the clock read 7:59. I was terrified and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine deep down I knew it wouldn't be. Jasper sensed my tension and sent me a wave of calm, which I thanked him for with a nod. Before the doorbell even had the chance to ring Carlisle and Esme were at the front door greeting the guests as they walked in.

"Eleazar, it's so nice to see you my old friend," Carlisle said to a man with golden eyes and black hair. He had an olive tone to his chalky complexion. Edward had told me it was because of his Spanish roots.

"It's good to see you as well, Carlisle," Eleazar replied with a grin shaking Carlisle's hand before turning to Esme to embrace her in a hug. "Esme, my dear, I think I might be the only vampire to ever have amnesia. I always seem to forget just how beautiful you are."

"Oh, such flattery, Eleazar," Esme giggled before embracing a woman with golden eyes and black hair. Her skin had an olive tone as well and I suspected this was Eleazar's wife Carmen.

"He's right though, Esme, you're absolutely gorgeous. Motherhood suits you so well," Carmen stated as she released Esme.

"I suppose it does, come Carmen, I want to show you the plans for the new house." Esme exclaimed pulling Carmen into the kitchen where she had left the blue prints. They quickly exited the room giggling like school girls their men trailing behind them.

I was almost tempted to laugh out loud at loud at their child like antics when I caught sight of three of the most gorgeous women I had ever seen, one with strawberry blonde hair. My heart sank into the pit of my stomach at the sight of her, Tanya. My body tensed and Edward tightened his hold on me rubbing soothing circles on my back as the three women walked our way, Tanya of course being the first one to reach us.

"Edward, it's so lovely to see you," she exclaimed with an enormous grin as she latched her arms around him clearly not noticing me at all. Edward cringed and tensed at the contact. I could only imagine what she must be thinking about. She released him after an awkward hug and turned to me the grin on her face turning into a devilish evil smirk.

"This must be Isabella," she said, my name rolled off her tongue like poison and I immediately felt sick, but I couldn't let her get the upper hand. I chocked back all my fear and smiled at her with all the kindness I could muster.

"Oh, Tanya, don't bother with such formalities, my family and friends call me Bella and you are family. Edward constantly talks about how much he cares for you like a _sister_ and any of Edward's sisters is a sister to me," I exclaimed wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace attempting to hold back the bile that was rising in my throat.

She hugged me a lightly tight and I could feel the bruises on my skin when she released me with a scowl, but I just smiled brightly at her.

"Drake, I need to hunt," she stated bitterly turning to face a brown haired man with red eyes. Edward had warned me that Drake fed from humans, but he had been forbidden by Carlisle and Eleazar from hunting humans on Cullen or Denali territory. I heard a snarl from behind me. Whatever Tanya was thinking made Edward upset.

"No problem, babe. Let's go," he replied and they darted out of the house. I breathed a sigh of relief at their departure and turned to Kate and Irina.

"Sorry about Tanya, Bella. I'm Irina. It really is a pleasure to meet you," said a woman with chin lengthy silver blonde hair and golden eyes. Her beauty was matched by a kind demeanor and a soft smile. She kept her distance probably in an effort not to suffocate me.

"It's alright. Maybe she'll feel better after a hunt," I responded with a genuine smile.

"She can be such a witch. I hope she won't cause you any trouble," said a woman with long, straight blonde, corn silk like hair and golden eyes. Obviously by process of elimination this was Kate.

"Don't worry about me, Kate. I can be a bit of a witch myself sometimes too," I laughed. Kate and Irina both joined in. Edward's face turned up in a loving smile and when I sat back down next to him, his stone cold arms embraced me once again.

"You are truly amazing, my Bella," he whispered in my ear.

"I know," I stated with a flip of my hair and a giggle. Edward laughed and kissed me gently on the lips as Kate, Irina, and Rosalie left the room with Alice for some girl time looking at Alice's new clothes. Thankfully, they didn't ask me to come with them because I was perfectly content where I was.

"Let's go to bed, kitten," Edward breathed against my neck leaving gentle kisses on my skin that made my core ache. "I have an early Christmas present for you."

My arousal began to puddle between my legs and all I could do is nod in response. He lifted me up, cradling me in his arms as he rushed with inhuman speed to his room. The lights were off and it was dark and without warning I was placed on my feet. I couldn't see or hear Edward anywhere near me and I began to worry. My breath was still ragged with arousal and my heart was pounding hard against my chest.

"Are you scared, my Bella?" Edward whispered in a voice I could only equate to a hunter taunting his pray. I could tell that he was standing behind me now, his cold breath hitting my neck.

I shivered with desire as my arousal soaked clear through my panties straight into the denim fiber of my jeans. He placed his hand on my hip and trailed it up the side of my body towards my breast. He cupped it in his hand squeezing it lightly as my nipple pebbled under his touch.

"No," I squeaked.

"Well you should be," He said and ever piece of clothing I had been wearing was torn from my body. I whimpered at the rush of cool air to my heated core as my arousal spread to my thighs. Edward latched his hand around my neck applying the gentlest pressure and my center throbbed uncontrollably.

"Oh, fuck… Edward. Dear god!" I screamed out as Edward pulled me up against him. I could feel his erection pulsing and I whimpered.

"You can pray all you want, my Bella. God can't help you now," he whispered quickly turning me so I was facing him.

His face was strained with need as he slammed me into the glass wall, thankfully it didn't crack. He wrapped my legs around him and growled ferociously ramming himself into me as thunder shook the cool glass. My whole body shivered with chills, but I didn't care about the cold. He slid in and out of me deep and hard. Rain began to fall heavy outside and you could hear it pounding the ground. Lightning flashed and I saw the mischievous smirk on Edward's face as he leaned forward capturing my wrists in one hand tightly not bothering to be gentle and bringing them above my head. His hand would leave bruises, but the pain felt fantastic. His other hand squeezed my ass hard as he began moving faster within me grunting wildly.

"Fuck, Edward!...UGH!...GOD DAMN IT! Harder, harder!" I screamed and I'm sure anybody within a 2 mile radius would hear, but it just didn't matter.

"You like that I'm dangerous, don't you? You wanted me to fuck you like this, didn't you?! Hard and rough…Of course you did you're so fucking wet you're dripping. Who owns you?" he growled as he pushed into me harder.

He's right I had always wanted this and even though I knew he was still restraining himself, because otherwise I would be dead right now, the sensations running through me were so incredibly mind numbing I could care less.

"Yes! You, Master!" I shouted as my stomach began to coil.

"That's it…Mine…Come for Master my filthy little slut," he shouted as he stiffened within me and clamped the hand that was around my wrists to around my neck and I couldn't take it. I came harder than I ever had before pulsating around him as he thrust into me.

"FUCK!" He screamed throwing his head back releasing inside of me as something truly unbelievable happened.

Lightening struck the roof causing a massive hole in Edward's ceiling. We collapsed to the floor in post coital bliss as Edward shielded me from falling plaster and debris. I was unable to move, unable to think, unable to hear, my senses were rocked to hell, but I was on cloud nine. After allowing myself to come down from the most euphoric high of my life I smacked my lips against his savoring his delicious peppermint taste on my tongue panting wildly as soft rain dripped through the hole in Edward's ceiling falling on and around us. Edward released my lips and surprisingly the rain let up just as the whole family burst through the door to Edward's room, minus Rose and Tanya.

Lucky Edward's fast and he was able to wrap me up in a blanket and pull on boxers before too much had been revealed.

"What the hell?! Do you guys mind?!" Edward shouted.

"No time for embarrassment, son, get dressed and meet us downstairs for a family meeting now!" Carlisle exclaimed and Edward's face was suddenly a mask of fear.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**BPOV**

We quickly got dressed and rushed downstairs. Rosalie apparently was in her room because she didn't want to attend the family meeting and Tanya was still off with her fuck buddy out hunting. The rest of the family was seated around the dining room table and that's when it hit me. This had to be something big.

"What's going on Edward?" I asked and the fear was clear in my voice.

"I don't know. They're all blocking me," he admitted sitting in one of the chairs and pulling me on his lap. "What's this about?"

"I have no idea why I didn't notice this before," Carlisle said mostly to himself before looking directly at me. "Bella, do you know what Eleazar's ability is?"

I shook my head in a simple gesture of no. Words were too difficult when my nerves were overloaded. I expected Carlisle to continue, but Eleazar was the one who began to speak.

"Well, I'm able to detect what type of abilities a human or vampire has. It's more difficult for me with humans because the human mind is incapable of handling these abilities so even though they might become apparent when a person is still human they are weak and uncontrollable. Human abilities are often revealed during times of high emotions and this is why I didn't know you had one until just a few moments ago."

"WHAT?" I shouted feeling slightly faint as I began shaking my head adamantly in denial. "That's not possible, I would know if I had some super human ability."

"Some abilities are less noticeable than others, Bella. Not only did the fact that you have two make it difficult for me to detect, but when there's a combined ability involved it's almost impossible to notice until both individuals are vampires," Eleazar replied obviously not offended by my outburst and everyone at the table became eerily silent including Edward who now had a look of utter shock on his face.

"Two...Combined ability…Both? What are you talking about?" I asked completely dizzy with confusion and worry because I was now the only one who didn't know what was going on.

"A combined ability is an ability that lays dormant in two people. Which means these two people can only use the ability as a pair. It appears that you and Edward share the ability to control the weather," Eleazar stated and my head started to spin. "Combined abilities are extremely rare formed only by those who have an absolute, unbreakable bond. It's even rarer that an individual would have more than one ability like you and Edward have. Add on the fact that you have a rare shielding ability that protects your mind from abilities such as Edward's and you are by far the most unique specimen I have ever encountered, vampire or human. You will only get stronger once your turned and that could make _you_ the most powerful vampire in existence."

My breathing became shallow it was getting harder to breath. My vision started to blur and I couldn't focus on anything or anyone. The room began to spin and before I was able to grab a hold of something with my mind to stabilize myself everything went black.

* * *

I awoke to the sun filtering in through my bedroom window. I was in _my_ bed back at Charlie's house. I immediately searched the room for Edward, but he was no where to be found neither were any of the other Cullens. After launching myself out of bed and pulling on the closest shirt and pair of jeans I raced downstairs to find Charlie drinking his normal cup of coffee.

"Merry Christmas, Bells! How did you sleep?" he asked taking a sip out of the mug before setting it on the counter.

To say I was confused would be an understatement. I should have woken up at the Cullen's. Did I black out? Was this all a dream?

"You too, I slept fine. When did the Cullens drop me off?" I questioned and his brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Are you feeling alright, Bells? This is the first time you've said anything in months and I don't think you've ever seen the Cullens outside of school," he stated as he checked my forehead with the back of his hand.

"What?! Edward and I have been dating for two months, Charlie. Seriously, when did they drop me off?" I asked him again and he continued to look at me confused and slightly worried at this point.

"Maybe you should go lay down, Bella. I'm sure you heard Edward Cullen's been dating that Tanya girl, remember? They're supposed to be getting married on Valentine's Day." Charlie stated and my heart hit the pit of my stomach, I tried to stop the bile rising in my throat, but I couldn't control it.

I ran to the sink and puked up something that tasted like cookies and hot cocoa soaked in stomach acid. Then it hit me that was what I had been eating last night. It had to be real.

"Oh, Bells. You must have the stomach flu. Do you need me to call in and stay home with you?" Charlie asked concerned.

I needed to go to the Cullen's house. Something was wrong. Edward would never date that whore even if she was the last thing on Earth.

"No, I'll be fine, Charlie." I replied and Charlie grabbed his gun, badge, and jacket.

"Alright, Bells, but if you need anything just give me a call. Oh, I almost forgot," he stated running out to the living room and coming back with a gift wrapped in blue Christmas paper with angels on it. "Got you something, I know you're still not very happy here so I thought this might cheer you up."

I really needed to get to the Cullen's house, but I decided to humor Charlie. I ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a new copy of Romeo and Juliet along with a copy of Dracula. Even though I was absolutely desperate to leave and filled with worry I couldn't help, but give Charlie a hug. He jumped even more than normal and it occurred to me that without Edward these last few months would have been hell.

I released him from the hug and he rushed out the door with a smile. At least someone was happy because I damn sure wasn't. Grabbing my coat and keys I practically flew out the door to my truck. The engine started with a loud roar and I tore down the road going as fast as the old thing could carry me. When I got to the Cullens I raced to the front door pounding on it with all my might. Quickly the front door opened to reveal Carlisle.

"May I help you?" He asked.

"Oh, Carlisle, I'm so glad to see you. Something's happened. Charlie doesn't remember me dating Edward. It's like his memory has been completely erased. I need to speak with him. Something isn't right!" I blurted out and Carlisle just stared at me with a mask of confusion.

"You're Bella Swan, the chief's niece, right?" He questioned with a bewildered expression.

"Of course I am! Don't you remember me?" I shouted and Carlisle shook his head.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I don't believe we've ever met before. Maybe I should take you down to the hospital and have you checked out. Let me grab my coat," he replied and that's when I heard the velvety soft chuckle I knew all to well coming from the living room. Carlisle moved from the doorway to grab his coat at human speed and I rushed past him to find Tanya sitting on Edward's lap while he blew in her ear.

"Eddie, stop that tickles," Tanya said in a high pitched girly voice as she giggled.

"But I love the sound of your giggles, Tans," Edward replied and I could barely contain my anger. My hands curled into fists, balls of fury and all I could see was red. I wanted nothing more than to rip out her hair and pound my fists in to her cold dead heart.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM YOU EVIL BITCH?" I shouted and Tanya peered up at me with a devilish smirk.

"Do you know this girl, Eddie?" she asked turning in his lap to snuggle in closer to him.

Edward's eyes connected with mine and he looked hard, searching for something. I saw a glint of something there, some small form of the recognition I was hoping for, but then his face turned took on an expression of indifference.

"She goes to my school, but I have no idea what she's doing here," he said with a shrug.

My knees felt like they were buckling underneath of me. My heart felt like it was being ripped open and I couldn't help the tears that were falling from my eyes. This couldn't be happening, it had to be a nightmare, but the pain was just too real. Carlisle didn't remember me. Edward, my soul mate, didn't remember me. Someone had to remember me though, right? But if not Edward, than who? Alice walked in the room and I got a small glimmer of hope. Alice would remember, no one could forget their best friend.

"Alice! What's happening? Why doesn't he remember me?" I cried and Alice looked over at Edward, then at me, then back to Edward again.

"Edward, have you been hanging out with the new girl after you told me I couldn't. That's so messed up," she stated crossing her arms across her chest.

"No, Alice, she showed up here a few minutes ago. She told Carlisle we've been dating, but everyone knows I've been with Tans," he replied completely bewildered and irritated.

I couldn't take it anymore, my heart was in shreds. I don't know how I forced my legs to move, but I took off running full speed to my truck crying the whole way there. The engine roared to life and I sped away kicking up some rocks and dust as I peeled off down the drive. My heart had never hurt this bad, not even when I lost my parents. Nothing mattered anymore. Life was meaningless without Edward. I drove until I couldn't see through my tear stained eyes anymore and pulled off to the side of the road.

I curled into a ball wrapping my arms around my knees screaming as I dry heaved. I sat there for hours wailing into the leather bench seat, pounding at it with all the force my tiny little fists could endure. After a while my voice became hoarse, my body began to ache with soreness and cold, my heavy eyes could produce no more tears. My eyelids finally closed from pure exhaustion, but not even sleep could save me. The scene replayed in my nightmares.

I could only sleep for 10 minute intervals or so before waking up in a sweat screaming loudly. I don't know how much time passed, but the fifth time I woke up I was warm, too warm. My eyelids opened and I found myself in the arms of a friend I thought I'd lost, Jacob. He had pulled me from the truck and we were sitting outside in the woods surrounding my house. They were familiar I had gone out here many times to read. My arms latched onto him with all my remaining strength as tears drenched my face.

"None of them remember! He doesn't remember me! How could he forget, Jake? How could he forget me?" I questioned demanding an answer I probably would never receive. "I don't want to live without Edward."

Jake pulled me back away from him to look in my eyes as tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

"I don't know how Edward could ever forget you. It's not his fault though, Edward loves you I know that for a fact, but something or someone has made everyone forget that, Bells," he said.

His words registered and I was filled with a sense of relief.

"You remember?" I asked with tears still in my eyes. Jake remembers, but nobody else does. How is this possible? What's happening? Maybe he knows what's going on. The small glimmer of hope was back. "Why do you remember and no one else does?"

"I don't know, Bella. Something strange happened last night. It's like the whole town woke up without any memory of your interaction with the Cullens. Only the wolves remember," he replied with a sad expression and all my hope disappeared. I turned back into the shattered mess I'd been all day, the one incapable of understanding that I sounded crazy.

"I can't live without him," I cried and my shoulders racked with sobs. I pounded my small fists against his chest causing shots of pain to go through my arms as I screamed in desperation. "Make me forget, Jacob!"

"Stop doing that, you're hurting yourself," he replied in panic holding my hands down to prevent me from continuing. "There's no way I can make you forget. I don't know how," he replied as he started to rub circles on my back holding me tighter now.

"Well, then find a way! Make me forget, Jacob!" I wailed into his shoulders more as my body shook uncontrollably. Logically I knew it wasn't possible, I would never forget Edward, but at the moment I just wanted the pain to go away. "Make me forget, Jacob!"

"No, Bella, I know you and you don't want to forget," he whispered and I couldn't stand to listen to him anymore. Nothing was going to make things right now, nothing.

I pushed myself out of his arms and ran off into the dark towards Charlie's house. It wasn't home, home was Edward. My mind was running as fast as my feet and every thought that entered my brain was of him. Edwards soft gentle kisses, the sound of his voice as he cried out in ecstasy, the feather light touches of his fingers on my skin, the look on his face when he agreed to make me his forever. Forever… forever would never happen. He would spend forever with Tanya.

Tanya, even thinking the name caused my vision to turn red. I wouldn't let her have him. EDWARD IS MINE! She would die for what she's done. If she was the one causing this than theoretically all I had to do was take her out. What did Eleazar say I was? A shield, that's it, maybe I could use that ability to fix this mess, but I would have to undergo the change first it would make the ability stronger. The Cullens wouldn't change me, they were obviously under the same spell that stupid evil bitch had put Edward under.

I couldn't just go searching for a nomad. They would kill me before they would ever change me. Wait, Aro collects powers and mine are very unique. I wonder if this shield could protect me from the Volturi's powers. Fuck it, all the matters now is that I get Edward back if that is the only way to do it, so be it! Volterra, here I come!

**EPOV**

Tanya held on to me tight as the family opened presents even our newest member, Drake, but I couldn't stop thinking about Isabella Swan, Bella she liked to be called Bella. How I knew that I had no idea. When I saw her standing in front of me that morning something happened, it was like an electrical shock straight to my heart. The moment Bella's eyes connected with mine it felt right. I tried to shake the thought off. Tanya and I are engaged, I love her… right?

Bella kept invading my conscious as the days slipped on. No matter what I did I couldn't get her out of my head. Tanya tried to get me to sleep with her every day even though she knew I wanted to wait until we were married. Each time I said no Tanya would throw a fit. She didn't have any respect for my virtue. For some reason I had a feeling that if I was with someone like Bella that my virtue would be meaningless, that the real reason I didn't want to sleep with Tanya is because it felt wrong with her. I was thrilled when she finally gave up, but it was a short victory.

It was the first day of February. We were getting married in two weeks and Tanya was trying to break down my barriers by forcing me with all her nagging to try other things that wouldn't compromise my virtue. She lay before me naked and all I could think about was how wonderful Bella might look laying there instead. What's wrong with me? I forced my lips to trail down from her neck between her breasts as she wriggled beneath me and when I caught her thoughts I knew I couldn't do this.

_His lips are amazing, that's it farther down…make mama happy._

I don't know why I was so disgusted, but it honestly felt like I was about to go down on my own sister. My will power was completely diminished and I was incapable of doing what she wanted, it just felt…gross. I needed a way out. Pulling away from her as quick as possible I gave her a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, Tans. I just remembered that I promised the guys we would go on a two week hunting trip, sort of a bachelor party, we'll be back the day of the wedding. Anyways, I should be helping them get everything planned out and ready so we can go," I blurted out grabbing my shirt and pulling it back on, she couldn't get me to remove my pants.

_WHAT THE FUCK?! EDWARD CULLEN!_

"This is ridiculous, Eddie! I'll just go take care of myself, damn it! After we're married I want a house of our own, your family is always getting in the way," she screamed as I left her lying on the bed. I felt bad, but I couldn't help feeling relieved as well. Some time away might do us good cause at this moment I couldn't see myself marrying Tanya Denali, all I could see was Bella Swan.

* * *

**I know there was a lot of information in this chapter so let me clear some things up for you.**

**1\. Bella and Edward have two powers, one they can only use together and one that they can only use individually which makes them very unique, but Bella's shield is also very rare making her even more unique than Edward.**

**2\. Carlisle, Alice, and Edward have no memory of Bella. The rest of the town has no memory of Bella's interaction with the Cullens except the wolves. The other Cullen's are unknown at this point.**

**3\. Drake and Tanya are living with the Cullens the rest of the Denalis went back to Alaska.  
**

**I don't know if these are obvious facts to you guys, but I just wanted to make sure that everything made sense.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**BPOV**

When I arrived home I rushed to the kitchen climbing on top of the counter to reach the cabinet just above the fridge. The coffee can was hidden there, Charlie's emergency stash. No good cop is unprepared. I yanked open the lid taking in the sight of a large quantity of one hundred dollar bills. Quickly I counted it, a grand total of $2,500, and pocketed it all. I grabbed the nearest pen, the note pad of the fridge and wrote out my final goodbye to the man who had taken me in when no one else would.

_Dear Uncle Charlie,_

_I took the money out of the emergency stash. Pawn my stuff hopefully that will cover it. I need to go, there's something I have to do and I hope you don't bother wasting time searching for me, because I'm not coming back, even though I know you will. I just wanted to tell you that there's no one else I would have rather moved in with after my mom and dad died. You've been so patient with me. Take some time and find your self a good woman, Charlie. It's about time you settle down, get married and have some children of your own. I don't know anyone in this world that would make a better husband or father than you. I wish nothing, but the best for you._

_Love Always,_

_Bells_

Guilt rocked my body as I wrote that I was not coming back. Returning to Charlie would not be an option once I was a vampire, let alone a newborn. I packed my bag taking essential items as well as everything of importance to me; the books Charlie had given me just this morning, the notes Edward had written to me, the picture of my parents and a few other things. Using the money I stole from the coffee can I boarded the first flight to Italy. Who knew they had a red eye flight to Florence, Italy on Christmas Day? I was glad that my parents had taken me on that trip to Puerto Rico last summer, even though it was horrible and we spent 95 percent of the time locked in the hotel room waiting out a hurricane, because at least I had a passport.

The flight was long. I slept for short periods of time often waking up from the nightmares that plagued me and after a while I just couldn't sleep anymore. I was too shaky, jittery with anticipation or fright I couldn't tell which. The tears were threatening to spill again and I was fighting to hold them back as the flight attendant announced our landing. When the airplane taxied at the gate, I grabbed my bag and tossed it over my shoulder exiting the plane.

All I had now was a two and a half hour bus ride from Florence to Volterra. The bus was full of tourists, and I found a seat by a nice retired elderly couple. The gray haired woman was extremely chatty discussing with me her life long dream of traveling to Italy. Eventually she pulled out a map and her and her husband took turns pointing out different sites they wanted to see. This little old woman was so excited.

I wondered what they would think if they knew they were traveling to a city full of vampires and not the type of vampires I was used to. No, these are blood thirsty cruel vampires who would drain an old woman without a second thought. I found myself hoping that their age would make the blood taste bad and the sweet couple would return home with only memories of a fantastic trip to Italy. The rolling hills of the countryside eventually gave way to cobble stone streets as we approached Volterra. My body tensed with the realization that I was really going to do this, that I was in Italy about to hand myself over to the most powerful coven of vampires in existence. Take a deep breath, Bella, breath in, breath out, inhale, exhale.

"Welcome to Volterra," announced the bus driver. Everyone clapped and began to gather their things, but I couldn't move.

My heart pounded in my chest and my breath quickened as my eyes watched the passengers file out of the bus one by one. My vision was becoming blurry and I needed to stop this, now was not the time to faint. You have to do this, Bella, for Edward, for your forever. With that last thought I brought myself back to the present. Without any further delay I flung the bag over my shoulder and exited the bus. Now all I had to do was find myself a vampire.

The only thing was how exactly do you find a vampire? I walked the streets for a while, dark alleys and any place that seemed shadowed enough that a vampire could hide. Every person I passed was so normal... this might be more difficult than I thought. The sun was beginning to set as I made my way to the center of the city. The roads had no street lights so as the sun moved over the horizon it became harder and harder to see. Pretty soon I couldn't see my own hand no matter how close I held it to my face. I turned the corner into an alley expecting to find nothing as usual, but I caught a glint of something, a color, an almost electric violet color. Could it be? Why would the violet eyed creature be here of all places?

I drudged on into the dark feeling my way down the alley until my foot stepped on something hard that made a weird clunk sound. It felt almost like a man hole, but this was the first one I had passed and I had been walking these streets for hours. I don't know why I reached down to open it something just seemed strange about a man hole in the middle of town and the fact that it was the only one I had seen made it even more odd.

My fingers slipped into the holes and with a grunt I lifted and moved it to the side. Peering down I could see a glow of light in the hole below me as well as a glint of bright violet. What is this thing doing? It's almost like it wants me to follow it. This game was starting to annoy me, the questions were piling up and I wanted answers. The drop didn't look too far, hell worse case scenario I would break something and bring the vampires to me. Time to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes. I swung my legs into the hole and without giving myself time to reconsider I slipped inside. After this I should think nothing of falling down stairs.

I landed with a thud, but not on the ground as I expected. It was almost as if I fell on to a cushion. Okay, this is getting weird. Oddly enough it didn't take much thought to figure out who left it there. Seriously when I was done with Aro I would find out what violet eyes is up to if it's the last thing I do. After grabbing my bag I started to walk towards the glow of light. It wasn't bright by any means and I ended up tripping over my own feet several times, thankfully I didn't fall. The light started to get brighter as I got closer and soon I discovered that it was actually leaking through the base of a large wooden door.

I reached the end of the hall resting my ear against the door hoping to hear something that would tell me I was going the right way, but I could hear nothing. Well, guess it's now or never. Gripping the large metal handle and pushing against the door it opened with a loud drawn out squeak that would surely alert any vampires of my arrival. On the other side of the door was something I definitely had not been expecting.

A bright lit room greeted me and when my eyes adjusted they zeroed in on a beautiful, but very human woman with shoulder length brown hair, tan skin, and green eyes. She was seated behind a desk shuffling through paperwork completely unaffected by my arrival. I stepped forward onto plush beige carpet shutting the door behind me. My eyes traveled the large room as soft music echoed off of the off white walls, thick cushy black couches and glass tables.

The room reminded me all too much of a doctor's office waiting room. Finally my sight locked in on something useful, a rather obnoxiously large painting of none other than the Volturi. At least I know I'm in the right place. The woman finally looked up from her post and gave me a bright smile. On her desk sat a name plate engraved with the name Gianna.

"May I help you?" She asked in a voice thick with an Italian accent while giving me the once over with her eyes.

My heart was racing and I was all too glad that she was unable to hear it. What should I say? My brain rushed through different ideas and scenarios before finally coming up with something tangible.

"Yes, my name is Isabella Swan. I need to speak with Aro Volturi. I have information which may prove useful to him," I replied and lucky for me my voice came out formal and some what authoritative, which is exactly what I was going for.

Gianna seemed pleased with the answer and clicked a button on what appeared to be an intercom.

"Demetri, an Isabella Swan is here to see Master Aro," Gianna said into the speaker before looking back at me. "Please take a seat. Demetri will be here in a few moments to escort you to Master Aro."

I did as I was told taking a seat on one of the cushy black couches. No more than 5 seconds after I sat down a tall lean man with short dark brown hair and bright red eyes entered the room. His long gray cloak hung loosely at his neck moving gracefully from side to side with his steps. He gestured for me to follow him and with my bag in hand I followed him through another large wooden door. Once we were through the door he surprised me by taking my bag and actually introducing himself.

"I'm Demetri," he said giving me a friendly smile.

"Bella," I responded with a smile matching his.

"Well, Bella, I honestly have no idea what you're doing here, but I do hope you know what you have gotten yourself into. Aro does not take kindly to visitors at this hour, especially human visitors," he informed me and his smile turned sad. He started walking, maneuvering the corridors with ease as he spoke. "Would you mind answering a question for me, Bella?"

"Um, sure," I replied.

"Why can't I get a sense of you? I'm a tracker, best one in the world I'm told, but I can't seem to get any tenor on you at all," he said perplexed.

I thought briefly about whether or not I should tell him about my ability. Aro would find out soon enough anyway.

"It's my ability. I'm a mental shield," I said with an almost smug smile. If my shield could block Demetri than hopefully it could block the rest of the Volturi. His face turned even sadder at my admission.

"Wow, that's really rare, Bella. I've only met one other shield in all my existence, Renata, Aro's personal body guard, and she can only block physical attacks," he exclaimed, but you could hear the sadness in his voice. "I don't mean to be rude Bella, but if I was you I wouldn't have come here. Aro won't let such an ability go to waste."

"I know I'm counting on it," I stated. It was a cryptic answer, but Demetri seemed to understand what I meant.

"Like I said before, Bella, I hope you know what you're doing," he said as we came to a stop in front of a large gold door and handed me my bag. "Be safe."

Demetri seemed like a really nice guy, in fact I would bet everything I owned that he was forced into the guard here. Someone that nice couldn't be here on their own free will.

"Take care, Demetri," I said giving him a smile as he pushed the door open.

We walked through the door into a large round room empty of furniture except for three chairs that looked like thrones and a few marble benches. The ceiling was one big sky light held up by beams of marble and I'm sure if it was completely dark in here I would be able to see every star. The room was not brightly lit by artificial lights only the light glow of candles that surrounded the room, covering the marble floor and illuminating the large columns that supported the concrete walls. A figure stepped out into the light and I could tell immediately who it was. His long black hair and cloak gave him away so easily.

"Master Aro, I have a lady Isabella who is here to see you," Demetri announced now rigid with fright.

"Ah yes, so I've been told," Aro replied giving me a sickeningly sweet smile. "I hear you have some information for me. I'm sure you know of my gift so enlighten me, dear Isabella."

My heart thumped loudly with fear as his hand reached out to me. This was it, no going back. Please let this work. I placed my hand in his and he clutched it tightly in his stone cold grip. After a brief moment Aro's face twisted in an even more nauseating smile before releasing my hand from his hold.

"Remarkable, how is it you can hide your mind from me, child?" He asked with an amused giddy tone.

Thank god! Internally I breathed a sigh of relief although I knew this was far from over.

"It is my ability, the reason why I am here," I answered in the calmest voice I could muster. "I want you to change me."

What possessed me to say that? I have no idea maybe it was because I was exhausted and sore or because I hadn't eaten anything since I got off the plane. It could be the fact that I was sick of beating around the bush and I just wanted to get this over with so I could get back to Edward, back to forever. It might have been all these things, but once it was said it's not like I could take it back.

"Demetri, fetch the others, they must meet our wonderful guest," Aro commanded excitedly with an evil twinkle in his eyes.

Demetri's face turned to sorrow with my admission, but he left the room at vampire speed and within moments had returned with the other two Volturi brothers and what appeared to be three members of the guard. Caius stepped forward and took a seat on the far right throne his long white hair a heavy contrast to Marcus' and Aro's jet black hair. He seemed to be intrigued, but irritated as well. Marcus followed Caius in an almost lifeless, zombie like fashion taking a seat in the far left throne flanked by Demetri. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but it looked like the guard all wore the same gray colored cloak as Demetri while Marcus and Caius both wore black matching Aro.

Two of the guard members, a boy and a girl, looked like they under went their change fairly young, 14 possibly. The girl was short maybe five foot and had the most stunning shoulder length blonde hair. Her facial features were angelic although the evil look in her eyes assured me she was anything but. The boy was five foot five inches, average for someone that age and had short brown hair. His facial features were also angelic, but like the girl something just seemed off about him. They both stood beside Caius with wicked smiles on their faces.

I turned my attention to the other guard member, a woman around the age of 22. Her hair was long, straight and fire red. She clung to Aro's cape like a second skin following him to the middle throne and standing directly behind him.

"This is Isabella Swan it appears that she has a very unique ability, my brothers, and wishes to became a vampire. Is that correct my dear?" Aro asked. I nodded my head and Aro beamed with pride like a parent on PTA night. "Why don't you explain to us this gift of yours?"

"Alright, I'm a mental shield. It appears I can block my mind from mental abilities, ones that affect my brain," I stated simply wanting to get this over with now.

Caius reached out and touched Aro's hand, almost like he was relaying something to him.

"Marvelous!" Aro cooed. "Well, I have already seen you are immune to my gift and it appears the same is true for Caius. Let us see if you are immune to all of us."

He peered over at Demetri and he shook his head confirming what I already knew. Then Aro turned to the young boy and girl and their eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

"Share you two. Alec, you go first and if there's anything left I'll let you have your turn, dear Jane," Aro said speaking to them as if they were merely children playing with a toy and not a real live human.

"Yes, Master," both replied. Alec turned to me with an evil grin and I could feel my heart race as fear coursed through my veins. I didn't know what gifts Jane and Alec had, but something told me that they were not going to be pleasant.

My body tensed as he stared into my eyes with his bright red orbs and I could tell he was trying to do something, but I felt nothing. His face turned to a mask of anger and shame as he shook his head making Aro clap with glee. Jane turned to me and gave me that same psychotic stare, but after a while she too became angry and shook her head in shame.

"WONDERFUL!" Aro exclaimed. "Oh, Isabella, you are truly fantastic. Although I must say I'm disappointed as well. I would have loved to see Alec make you lose your sense of sight and sound and watch as Jane made you writher in pain. It certainly would have made my decision for me."

Aro let out a booming laugh joined quickly by the others, except for Demetri and Marcus. Marcus seemed too bored to care and Demetri appeared more pained by the thought than anything else. I would love to say I was surprised, but really I was not. Edward had said that Aro was cruel, but cruel was not a strong enough word to describe this man. Honestly I didn't know if there was any word that could describe this man and his pompous god-like ego.

Okay this guy is seriously getting on my nerves I've had enough of this shit.

"Alright, first off the name is Bella." I shouted irritated and tired. "Second, clearly I know too much to remain human so either you're going to kill me or you're going to change me. So just make up your damn mind and get on with it already!"

Aro looked shocked at first before he started giggling like a school girl.

"I love it when they're feisty it makes it so much more entertaining don't you agree, brothers?" He asked turning to both of them.

"Indeed it does, Aro. She would make an excellent edition to our coven. Let us see if she is immune to Marcus' gift," Caius stated and Marcus sat up from his slouched position to look at me. There was something in his eyes. He just looked sad, miserable even. He stared at me for a few moments before shaking his head.

"Fascinating, though this will make things rather difficult," Aro stated and his evil grin became wider. "Bella, we will agree to change you on one condition."

"If it is that I have to join your coven fine, but there is something I must do first. After you change me you must give me three months of freedom. That is all I ask otherwise kill me now," I replied serious and cold. "And don't try anything funny, Aro, or I guarantee I will make your life a living hell. It's a fair trade really. Three months of freedom for an eternity of servitude."

"But how do I know you will come back, Bella. My tracker can't even track you," Aro said with a sly smile. "Three months gives you more than enough opportunity to change your mind."

"Than send him with me and he can bring me back to you when my time is up," I replied and Demetri's eyes met mine gleaming with hope briefly before his face turned into a mask of indifference. My heart ached for the poor creature in front of me, so pained by his existence. I would give anything to take him with me when I go, to protect him. I felt a slight jolt to my heart and than a strange tugging sensation. It was like I had extended some sort of a rope around him. It made little sense, but really what did at this point. It was clear that he wanted out and I knew he wouldn't bring me back to this place. I had lied to Demetri I had no idea what I was doing until he befriended me. He was my plan, my escape route.

Aro contemplated it for several moments before his sly smile turned into a full blown grin.

"You have a deal," he jumped up and within a second I felt teeth at my neck.

They sunk into my neck like a hot knife into butter and I immediately wanted to scream, but I wouldn't give Aro the satisfaction. It hurt, but no where near as bad as what was to come. I shut my eyes tight and ground my teeth together trying to stop the small whimpers from escaping. I could hear laughing, but then all I could concentrate on was the excruciating searing pain traveling from my neck throughout my body. Every muscle began to spasm. Every pore on my body was dripping sweat. Every vein felt like it was full of lava that scorched every last patch of skin, tissue, fat, muscle and organ. My mind was plagued with pain, consumed by it. There was no controlling it and definitely no escaping it.

My stomach lurched and I dry heaved as my limbs twitched from convulsions. The flames torched me alive, charring every inch of me curling my toes and fingers in agony. I couldn't see anything, hear anything, but I could feel it all. It stabbed at me like a billion sharp knives that had lay in a fire for days. I started to feel the need to beg for mercy, beg for death. What could possibly be worth all this? Then an image floated to my mind one of a bronze haired boy with liquid topaz eyes and a smile that took my breath away…Edward.

As the flames licked at me lighting my flesh ablaze I thought of his gentle cooling touch, his cool embrace, his icy breath and the heat hurt the most miniscule amount less. I began to relive every memory, all the interactions with Edward from that very first day to the last night I spent with him, anything to remind me of why I was doing this, who I was doing this for.

" _Ah, Carlisle, there you are," he said with his signature crooked smile._

" _What if I told you I knew exactly what you said about me and that I feel the exact same way about you," he whispered._

_His icy lips made contact with mine and my world exploded. I let out a moan against his lips as my fingers weaved into his hair. I felt his hand on my hip grip me tighter almost too tight._

" _I love you so much more than words, my Bella," he whispered to me while resting his hand on my cheek._

" _More than words, my sweet lamb," he whispered back as he entered me slowly._

" _That's right baby, all mine! This pussy," he pinched my clit and I yelped. "These perfect tits," he twisted my nipple between his fingers and caressed the other with his tongue. "This perfectly round ass," he grabbed my ass and thrust into me harder. "It's all mine…forever."_

" _I can't wait for forever," he murmured against my skin._

" _Ugh, Bella god I love you… everything about you… the way you pant my name… the sound of your giggle… the way you complete me… so much ugh so much…," he moaned and growled._

" _Let's go to bed, kitten," Edward breathed against my neck leaving gentle kisses on my skin that made my core ache. "I have an early Christmas present for you."_

The tears were spilling out of my eyes at this point. I could feel the wet against my over heated cheeks. He was supposed to be the one to change me, to be here as I suffered in agony to spend forever with him. That bitch had taken it all away from me, but she could not have what was rightfully mine. I love Edward, and I would fight the world for him. I would do anything for him…this pain is nothing compared to the pain of a life without him.

I don't know how much time had gone by or how much time I had left, but at some point my breathing became labored as I fought against the fire melting my insides. I began to struggle for every burning breath, arching my back off of whatever flat service I was laying on. It felt like I was being chocked, squeezed of ever last bit of oxygen. I could feel my heart sputtering too fast for my tiny little body, aching with every beat. Slowly ever so slowly my fingers and toes unclenched, my legs and arms relaxed, but every bit of the excruciating burn just moved closer and closer to my now sporadically beating heart. Soon my whole body was cooled except for the overwhelming roasting of my last working organ. I listened with new found clarity to the beats as they drifted farther and farther apart until my heart, the one that would belong always to Edward, pounded one last, final time.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**BPOV**

"It's all over, Bella, open your eyes," a voice pleaded in my ear, but it was not the soft velvety voice I had imagined I would wake up to. "Why won't you open your eyes?"

I pried my eyes open to reveal Demetri hunched over me a look of pure worry on his face, but within a second his lips turned into a massive grin. His features were so much more prominent now, I could even make out a light gold in his dark brown hair, but it was not the face I wanted to open my new vampire eyes to. I ached to cry, though I knew there would be no more tears.

"Oh, Bella, I thought you were dead. You've been out for weeks!" He stated his voice now full of panic. "We have to go, quickly. You're freedom is slipping away and we don't want Aro to know you're awake or he might change his mind."

WEEKS! The change was only supposed to take three days what the hell happened? I would need to think about that later Demetri was right, we had to go. I had barely as much as thought of getting up from the bed I was apparently laying on before I was standing with bag in hand ready to go. Jesus, I knew I would be fast, but I never expected to be that fast.

"Alright we'll talk about all that later, Demetri. For now how the hell do we get out of here?" I asked.

"Follow me and we'll be out of here in no time," he replied with a smile.

He raced through the corridors at lightning fast speed, but I was right behind him the entire time. The speed thing would take some getting used to, not to mention the clarity with which I could see now. Even in the dark corridors I could see every small detail of the stone walls, the marble floors, even the tiny cracks in the 20 foot ceiling. Within a minute or two Demetri opened a small wooden door, revealing a wide open grass area and the luminescent glow of a full moon. It was stunning, absolutely breathtaking.

At that thought I realized I had yet to take a breath since I woke up. I took in a deep lungful of air and I could taste everything on my tongue, the dirt in the air, the trees, and the mild taste of grass. It was a mind blowing sensation, but no where near as mind boggling as what I could hear. I could hear the blades of grass rustle in the wind, a tiny bug walking across a leaf. Everything made a noise, a sound, my ears had never known existed before. I was surprised to hear myself think with all the noise around me. My new ability to hear would most definitely get on my nerves. It made me want to shut it off, block out the new sensation to allow myself to get used to the idea.

As soon as the idea hit my brain I could have sworn I didn't hear anything for a few minutes. Not my feet hitting the ground as we ran through the grass towards the tree line or the rustle of the leaves. Nothing, It very well could have been my imagination because when we stopped at the tree line and Demetri spoke to me I could hear him just fine.

"So where are we going, Bella?" Demetri asked grabbing my bag out of my hand.

"Can they hear us from here?" I questioned looking around instinctively and listening to see if I could hear anyone.

"No, by the way I can't thank you enough for getting me out of there and I don't know how you did it, but you seem to have broken whatever bond I had to Marcus as well," he responded and my mouth gaped open in surprise.

I had thought about it sure, but I hadn't tried to shield him at all… the rope feeling. I searched my mind for the feeling I had felt before, that rope, and found it still taut in my mind.

"Is everything alright, Bella?" Demetri questioned and the worry was clear on his face, but also something else, something more.

He was getting too close. Why did every guy I ever meet have to have only one thing on their mind? Oh, wait cause their men. This needed to end now. I couldn't have Demetri feeling anything more for me than friendship because I would never reciprocate those feelings. My heart belonged solely to Edward and he needed to understand that before we went any farther. That was if he wanted to go with me.

"Everything's fine I just didn't realize I was shielding you that's all," I responded giving him a soft smile. "Listen, Demetri, I wanted to be changed because I'm in love with a vampire. He's being manipulated, just like you were, and I wanted to be able to shield him, protect him, like I am doing for you. I'm telling you this because my heart belongs to Edward and I need to know that you are my friend, nothing more and nothing less."

"Well, Edward's a lucky guy. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I understand. Makes sense, the good ones are always taken," he said giving me a warm smile.

"Good, so do you want to go with me to save him or are you going to go your own way now?" I asked secretly hoping he would go with me. I would be the first one to admit I needed help.

"Are you kidding? And miss out on all the fun, hell no," he answered with a chuckle and gave me a nudge on the shoulder. "You're stuck with me, Bella."

"Great, so I guess now would be a good time to ask, why the hell was I out for weeks? I thought the change would only take 3 days?" I asked puzzled. The question had been nagging me since the moment I woke up and I seriously couldn't wait any longer to ask.

"Honestly, Bella, I really don't know. Some of the guards suspected it might be because of how you were changed, stress and trauma can sometimes make it take a little longer, but it doesn't make sense cause that usually adds on a day at most. I've never seen a transformation last that long and you were so quiet I thought you had died," he stated and I could tell by the look on his face how much that had bothered him.

"How long was I out, two weeks?" I questioned and he shook his head. "Three?"

"It's February 4th, Bella…," he replied and if my heart had been beating it would have stopped from the overwhelming shock I felt at that statement.

Edward had been under Tanya's influence for over a month. He would marry her in just 10 days. What if he didn't want me anymore? What if he was happy with her? What if they decided to get married sooner? What if they were already married? What if I couldn't fix this? What if I was too late? My cold heart ached at the thought. I knew deep down that if I couldn't fix this I would still kill her. It was an odd feeling to know I had enough hate in me for that tramp that I would kill her purely for revenge, but I guess being a vampire now I would have to get used to the thought of killing, after all I needed blood to sustain myself.

BLOOD…the five letter word crossed my mind and suddenly my throat was on fire. How had I not noticed this burn? It was painful, not as bad as the transformation, but unbearable none the less.

"I need to hunt…now!" I shouted to Demetri and ran off into the woods trying to use my new senses to find something, anything to eat.

"Why are you going this way? We have to go into town if you want to hunt. You're not going to find any people out here, Bella," Demetri shouted back and though my throat was still aching and I wanted nothing more than to hunt and satiate the thirst I stopped dead in my tracks turning to face him so I could speak.

"People? I'm not hunting people, Demetri. My family, Edward's family, they live off of animals. I couldn't imagine killing a person, someone's father or mother, daughter or son. They all have families, they all have lives, and I couldn't take that away from someone just because of my own selfish thirst."

Demetri's eyes opened wide with amazement at my simple speech. He seemed almost astonished. I couldn't figure out why. Was he surprised at my level of control? I knew from what Carlisle told me that it would be strange for a newborn to be able to think of anything, but blood after their awakening much less make a differentiation between human and animal blood. At this point I shouldn't have cared. I shouldn't have been able to even talk right now, the excruciating burn in my throat proved that.

"You can do that? You can really survive off of animals?" He asked with bewilderment and then his reaction made perfect sense.

"Yes, but we'll talk about it later. I need to hunt so are you coming with me or not?" I asked impatiently and he nodded his head still with wide eyes of shock.

I shot of into the woods like a bullet, weaving through the trees with incredible accuracy. Demetri was following me, I could hear his feet as they smacked into the earth, but I quickly became oblivious to his presence. The smell of dirt and plants that had a few moments ago smelled lovely filled my nostrils and it made me want to gag. The thirst was taking over and all I wanted was blood. After running for a few minutes I caught the scent of something that made my mouth fill with venom. I could hear the sound of my dinner as it pumped through the heart of whatever I was after. Now, the only thing that mattered was whether it was human or not.

Stalking forward I could hear the tantalizing swoosh of thick blood as it coursed through veins calling out my name. Using my now super sight I spotted what was making my throat feel like burning coals and my mouth drip with venom. It was a deer, a more than acceptable meal. With one wistful pounce I landed on it feeling its bones crack underneath my strong hold. I found the carotid artery with no effort and sank my teeth into the deer's hot flesh. It was euphoric bliss, so hot, so delicious, so incredibly mind numbing. As the thick blood ran over my tongue and down my throat it calmed every nerve in my body easing my heart ache if only momentarily like the most perfect drug.

The body became limp as I drank and I didn't stop until I had consumed every last drop of the sweet nectar humming with pleasure. I pulled away from the carcass to see Demetri staring on with wonder as I licked my lips clean.

"So how was it?" He asked with genuine interest.

"Orgasmic," I replied with a giggle and he laughed shaking his head slightly. "Do you need to hunt before we go? I can wait here until you're finished."

"No, I hunted last night besides I think I might try it your way next time," he said with a smile. "So where are we going?"

"Forks, WA," I replied with a wide grin. I was ready to go home.

We ran west towards the Ligurian Sea avoiding any major towns. I hadn't encountered any humans yet and I wanted to avoid them until I was sure I could handle it. In the morning it was cloudy which saved us the trouble of stopping for cover. Demetri went into the small city of Castiglioncello and shipped my bag to a post office near Forks paying a rather large fee for them to hold it for me. I allowed him to because otherwise everything in it would have been destroyed. When we reached the water's edge we wade into the water before ducking our heads underneath the surf. With no need to breath we simply swam underwater. The view was spectacular.

Apparently fish are one of the few animals who don't avoid vampires any more than humans. I heard from Edward once that he lost a bet and had to drink from a fish. I giggled internally at the face he had made when he told me just how truly awful it was. It was like a kid when their forced to eat Lima beans. Edward… god, I missed him. He never left my thoughts it was like he was always at the center of my mind and everything else worked around him. I suppose it made sense. He is, after all, the center of my universe.

We swam through the Mediterranean Sea coming out of the water on the cost of Cannes, France. Demetri says we crossed France in record time reaching the shores of Cabreton as the sun was setting. I started to panic. By morning I would only have 8 days to get home. We dove into Bay of Biscay and swam through the night and into mid day emerging from the water in over cast Portland, ME. We decided to run through Canada to avoid the large cities in America and we were well on our way to arriving in Forks in two days. We're right outside of Montreal when I noticed something in the trees up ahead that made me come to a full stop. It wasn't human, and it wasn't an animal, no it was one of us. A male, maybe 24 at most with blonde hair and oddly enough the eye color I had become so accustomed to at home, that wonderful liquid topaz.

"Stay here, Bella," Demetri said sternly pointing at me with his index finger before walking off towards the vampire.

I would have normally bent that finger in half if I wasn't so damn amazed. We hadn't passed any of our kind and I was expecting we would at one point, but not ones that shared the vegetarian diet. There was fear, but at the same time there was hope. I only wish that I had a stronger power. Something that I could fight off someone with if it came down to that. Or at least be able to extend my shield to protect us physically and not just mentally. In my panic I reached into my mind finding the rope and attempting to double it up, tug on it, make it stronger, and make it thicker, turn it into some sort of a cable rather than just a flimsy rope.

My head started pulsing and I stopped what I had been doing, but the damage was already done. It pounded harder and harder with each passing second until finally I couldn't take it anymore. I clutched my head between my hands screaming out in pain as I collapsed to my knees curling into a fetal position. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. There was some kind of snap, an unraveling in my brain before I succumbed to black, the darkness, the nothingness.

It was eerie, some where between being and not being. There was no light, no sound, no sight, no taste, no smell, no clear definition of anything, but black. I had the sense that this is what it was like to have your senses completely shut off. It made me feel lonely, empty. Eventually I tried to find my way out of the dark. I began to imagine the rope, imagine it in front of me tied tightly to me in knots that would not break. Imagining each individual thread determining how they would twist around one another to form that strong hold I had before. Within the dark it started to form stretching out across the vast nothingness like a tight rope, building thread by thread, twist by twist until it attached to me once again.

I heard voices, two different sets of voices. I knew one of them, it was Demetri. The words were jumbled, unrecognizable, but they were there. I tugged on the rope using it to pull me out of the darkness and back into the light. Words started to become clearer, I could taste the mild taste of grass once again, smell the scent of wood. I struggled to open my eyes until finally I was able to lift my lids. We were inside a log cabin. Demetri and the guy from the woods we're sitting in chairs across the room, but seconds after my eyes opened Demetri was at my side.

"Bella!" Demetri shouted latching his arms around me tight before hitting me upside the head with the palm of his hand. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You really need to stop scaring the hell out of me!'

"What happened?" I asked blinking my eyes a few times.

"We came across Derek here in the woods," he said pointing towards the blonde haired man I'd seen who was still sitting in a chair on the other side of the one room cabin. "I went to go introduce myself, you know, prevent a fight from breaking out. Well, I got over there and barely had time to say a word before I heard you screaming. You fell to the ground and I tried to run towards you, but it's like you were blocked off by some sort of a wall. You blacked out and I was able to get to you, but by then you were out cold, you didn't talk, you didn't move. What's even scarier is I felt that pull to go back to Marcus the moment you passed out. So I really thought you were dead this time, Bella. I almost left, the pull was so strong. Thankfully Derek and his mate Samantha stopped me. It appears she has the same power as you. Crazy, isn't it?"

"Another day…How long was I blacked out, Demetri?" I questioned looking straight at him.

"It's alright we still have two days to get you back to Edward. We'll leave as soon as Samantha gets back," he said.

"I was out for six days!" I screamed and the door to the cabin swung open revealing someone I never thought I would see again. I never thought I would see her again because she had died two years ago. My best friend was supposed to be dead. "SAMMY!"

**EPOV**

The hunting trip was going good. It was always nice to get away from civilization and live like a nomad for a change. I wouldn't choose to be a nomad, but it was nice to pretend sometimes. The fresh air and time away really had done me a lot of good. Drake reaffirmed me that I was just having wedding jitters. We went rock climbing and the conversation we had was extremely helpful. I felt so much better after wards, but come to think of it I can't really remember the whole conversation. Guess vampires don't have as perfect memory as we thought. All I know is I'm marrying Tanya Denali in two days and I couldn't be happier.

My phone rang in my pocket. I was surprised it hadn't died yet. I would charge it occasionally in the jeep at camp, but it had been a few days. I picked it up and Esme's voice came through the ear piece, full of panic.

"Edward, have any of you seen Rose? She left a couple of days ago and she hasn't called at all. I'm beginning to get worried."

"No, I haven't seen her, mom," I replied with only a small bit of concern. She's been known to do this before. "But you know Rose does that sometimes."

"Well, keep an eye out for her and call me if she shows up alright, Edward?" she asked.

"Of course," I replied and the phone beeped and shut off before I even had the chance to say goodbye.

I ran back to camp where Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Drake were playing poker and plugged my phone into the charger of the jeep.

"Rosalie's missing," I announced and everyone looked up from the game briefly, their thoughts were clear except for Drake's, I always had a hard time getting a good read on him.

_I hope she hasn't run off to Paris again, she'll never make it back in time for the wedding. Last time it took three weeks to get her home and I had to drag her back kicking and screaming the whole way. I love that girl, but both she and Alice need to get a better hobby._

_I hope she didn't run off to Paris, Alice will be pissed._

_Poor Esme must be freaking out. Why can't she just tell her where she's going?_

_I wonder…she could be…Tans will not be pleased…told her I should have…all_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**BPOV**

Her hair was still the amazing chestnut color it had always been, long and wavy. Her eyes of course were no longer their captivating hazel, but now liquid topaz like mine would be in a few months. I knew we had to leave it was starting to get dark outside and I would only have one day left after the sun came up to get to Edward, but I couldn't help myself. I latched my arms around my long lost best friend squeezing her tight in my grasp.

"How? When? Hell, it doesn't even matter!" I blurted out holding her closer to me as my shoulders racked with dry sobs.

She hugged me back, petting my hair like she had done a thousand times before. Sammy always knew what to do. She was two years older than me and had taken the role of a comforting older sister. Though I suppose if she was changed two years ago that would make me the same age as her, physically at least.

"It's alright Izzy," she said in the calming voice I remembered so well despite going two years without hearing it.

It had also been two years since anyone had called me Izzy. I wouldn't let anyone call me that after she disappeared, it hurt too much. After a few moments I finally leaned back enough to see a smile growing on Sammy's face and we both laughed and I'm sure she was laughing for the same reason I was. This was right were we left off the last time I saw her. Except last time I had been crying about a boy.

" _He's so cute, Sammy. He has the sexiest green eyes I've ever seen. I'm so in love with Robert Pattinson," I swooned practically drooling before coming back to reality. "But, he doesn't even know I exist."_

_Tears started to fall from my eyes and Sammy pulled me into her arms and petted my hair until the tears stopped._

" _If he doesn't realize how wonderful you are than he's not worth your time, Izzy," She said releasing me from her hold. "It's getting late. I have to get home or my mom is going to be really mad, but if you need me call, okay?"_

" _Alright, thanks, Sammy," I said with a small smile and she left my room shutting the door behind her._

She drove her Nissan Altima home that night, the one they would find covered in blood and abandoned on the side of the road after a week of endless searching

A few days after she disappeared I dreamt of Sammy. That she had come into my room and told me she was leaving. Something was different about her, but I couldn't quite figure out what. I tried to find the words to beg her to stay, but before I even had a coherent sentence she was gone, vanished right before my eyes.

"You were really there, weren't you? In my room," I said astonished once the pieces clicked into place.

"I would have never left without saying goodbye to you, Izzy. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, being a new born and all," she replied with a grin. "But it appears you know exactly what that feels like."

We both let out a small laugh again and I finally released Sammy, turning back to two very confused vampires.

"It's a long story," I stated. "We'll explain later. We don't have time right now. We have a wedding to stop."

"Damn straight!" a voice shouted from the open door.

I turned to find one of the last people I expected, a blonde vampire with a body any super model would kill for in five inch heels emerged from the darkness stepping into the light of the cabin.

"No brother of mine is going to marry that two bit hussy," Rosalie ranted her face turning up in a smirk. "About damn time I found you or I was going to have to kill her myself."

"What the fuck?" I questioned. Perplexed would be an understatement for how I was feeling right now. Rose had never even looked at me without giving me the evil eye besides she shouldn't even be able to remember me…If she wasn't under the same spell as everyone else that meant she knew what Tanya was doing. She knew that bitch was going to steal Edward from me! The anger in me started to build, turning my vision into a red haze. I couldn't handle this right now I needed her to leave before I did something stupid. Like rip the head off of the sister to my reason for existing.

"Get. Out. Rosalie," I said and the words came out cold and hard. "Get out of my sight now or I'll remove you myself."

Sammy, Derek, and Demetri flanked my sides now that it was clear that this particular vampire was not welcome. I heard them talking, but all I could concentrate on was the two-faced bitch in front of me. Sure she had made it clear from the beginning she didn't like me, but what kind of a sister let's her brother be manipulated for her own selfish reasons.

"Listen, I was wrong, Bella. I don't like admitting it, but I was wrong," she pleaded trying to redeem her self.

"You were wrong?" I shouted and I could almost feel the anger course through my veins. I wanted to wrap my fingers around her throat and rip her pretty little jugular out with my teeth. Without thinking I stretched my hands out to wrap them around her slender neck, gripping onto her with all my strength as I slammed her into the side of the cabin. I felt her marble flesh crack underneath my fingers, but it only made me want to squeeze harder as her legs flailed around.

"You ruined my life, took away my reason for living and all you have to say for yourself is I was wrong!" I growled as my hands created imprints in her skin.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know that she was going to steal Edward away from you, Bella. I only thought she would convince him that you weren't right for him, but she just used Drake to manipulate them all into her sick twisted game. I was wrong, Edward should be with you, not Tanya," she said and I could hear how scared she was. It should have made me stop, but it didn't. The only thing that saved Rosalie's life was the gentle words of a true friend.

"Stop, Izzy, she apologized, it's not her you're after," Sammy said from behind me.

I gritted my teeth as I pulled my hand from around her neck and turned to face the others.

"Get out!" I screamed and I heard the door slam behind me. Sammy and Demetri faced turned to anger while Derek just stood there stunned.

"I told you not to use you're power, Derek! Izzy has to learn to control her new born anger," Sammy shouted.

The red haze had yet to go away and I was still fuming with anger, unable to control my frustration and hurt. I wanted to just lift all the pain away. Pick myself up from this pit of hate and be able to forgive, be able to control this rage I was feeling.

"I didn't use my power, Sammy…I think it was Bella," he said choking out the words as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Holy shit!" Demetri exclaimed and Derek turned his head back to facing me.

Sammy looked at me then back to Derek who had his mouth wide open then back to me again before letting out a loud gasp of shock. It was only then that I looked down and noticed that I was floating a good foot off the ground and just like that the red haze was gone replaced only by a feeling of absolute confusion as I crashed down to the floor.

"What the fuck just happened?" I asked staring up at the three shocked vampires above me.

"It can't be…," Demetri murmured with astonishment as I pulled myself to my feet.

"What are you talking about, Demetri?" I asked trying to decipher his words.

Was this bad? Did something go wrong with the change? We all looked at Demetri waiting for an answer as he grabbed my hand.

"I want to try something. Do you trust me, Bella?" Demetri questioned and I gave him a nod. "I want you to close your eyes and think of something that makes you really happy, the happiest you've ever been."

It was an odd request, but I had heard much stranger in my days. I didn't lie I really did trust Demetri and if he could tell me what was going on then I was all for this experiment.

"Okay," I replied closing my eyes.

Immediately I pictured Edward, his soft bronze tousled hair, his heart melting topaz eyes, strong chin and perfectly full pink lips that fit seamlessly against mine. It made my cool skin tingle, my arousal pool, and my mouth water. I imagined running my fingers through his messy hair, devouring his succulent lips, his velvety voice whispering both dirty and affectionate phrases in my ear as he sucks on my neck. An involuntary moan escaped my lips, but I didn't care who heard me. I was so far beyond happy at the thought of feeling his hands run up my body to caress my cheeks as he devoured me that I almost didn't register when Demetri let go of my hand, speaking softly to me.

"Now hold on to that feeling, Bella. Embrace it."

I was consumed by Edward's throaty moans and passionate growls allowing myself to embrace each touch of his fingers, every flick of his tongue, every word. Hell, I not only embraced it, I welcomed it, ached for it.

"You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to take it away from you, all of it, everyone you care about. Edward…the Cullens, you're precious Sammy," Demetri whispered and my anger began to rise, building in me like a thousand atomic bombs, waiting to explode. "What are you going to do about it? Are you going to fight or just take it like a bitch, Isabella?"

My eyes shot open and the red haze was back. Rage engulfed my senses and I wanted to kill him, I, Bella, wanted to kill one of my best friends. Sammy and Derek were staring on at the scene, but they became a blur on the sidelines. Demetri was in my sights and he was all I could focus on. I tried to fight the anger, push it away, I was deeply conflicted and it must have shown on my face because Demetri called out to me, provoking me on.

"Don't think I won't do it. Why do you think I came with you? To be your friend? That's pathetic, I came because Aro ordered me to Isabella, and I came to destroy you."

His words stung and the anger in me boiled past my breaking point, winning out over my better judgment. I focused in on Demetri, imagined him flying across the room and without even lifting a finger Demetri proceeded to do just that, smacking into the far wall that broke into a million tiny pieces from the impact causing shards of wood to fly everywhere. The need to destroy him filled me, my rage taking over every muscle and nerve of my body. I wanted to make him suffer, make him hurt. I let my eyes bore into him and Demetri began to scream as he twitched on the ground in the most excruciating pain I had ever seen, but I could make no differentiation between friend and foe in my current state. Anyone who threatened me was fair game.

His body continued to contort in pain as I glared at him and I found it strangely satisfying. Without any warning I felt a feather touch on my shoulder, Sammy. Scenes began to flash before me, ones of Sammy when she was young, her first steps, first words, visions of her riding her bike through the neighborhood, playing hop scotch and jump rope. I saw everything, heard every single thought that had traveled through her mind from the moment she was able to have conscious thought to this very second.

I catalogued it all in my mind, how happy she felt when her parents took her to the zoo, the way that first crush made her swoon, her first kiss and how it made her want for more. I saw her father's funeral, the hours she spent holding her mother's hair back as she vomited drunk, the first time she broke curfew and how much it hurt when her mother backhanded her, the many times she fought off her mother's boyfriend as he touched her in ways he shouldn't. The anger started to subside as sadness filled me, I never knew. How could I be such a bad friend? The scenes just got worse and worse, Sammy's mother beating her with empty beer bottles, screaming as her mother's boyfriend took her virginity leaving her bruised and battered, it was horrifying but the one thing that really stuck with me was that last night of her human memories, two years ago.

_Sammy walked out of my house towards her car, pressing the unlock button on her key. She hoped in the car turning the key in the ignition and music began to flood out of the speakers. It was a song she had heard a thousand times before, but she enjoyed it so she hummed the tune as she sang along with the words in her head._

_I just want to run to you  
And break off the chains, and throw them away  
I just want to be so much  
And shake off the dust that turned me to rust  
Sooner than later, I'll need a savior, I'll need a savior._

_The song made her think of me, how much she wished she had someone like her to take care of her. She knew that her mom would be angry when she got home, drunk most likely. She loved me like a little sister and just hoped I would never have to live through what she had. When she got home her mom was drunk of course waving around a broken vodka bottle, slurring her words as she screamed at the top of her lungs._

" _Where've you been? Probablysout fucking another woman's husband, is thatsit, you filthy home wrecker?"_

_She waved the bottle towards Sammy's head and Sammy flinched, but her mother just laughed, one of those truly psychotic drunk laughs._

" _Youknows what Kevin told me? Hesays you asked for it, loved it…that youscouldn't keep your fucking handsoff of him," her mom said as she stumbled slightly._

_Sammy thought of Kevin, her mother's boyfriend, the sick disgusting taste of bile rising in her throat at the thought. He had violated her, taken something that didn't belong to him and this is what her mother did when she finally got up the courage to tell her? She was taking his word over hers. She didn't even recognize her mother in this woman. This woman was nothing, but an abusive drunk._

_Her mother took a hold of her hair yanking on it and making her scalp ache._

" _You're nothing, but a whore…you like it when men touchyou? Well, let's find out if they wantsto touch you after this," her mother said yanking her shirt up and pushing the broken vodka bottle into her abdomen sliding it across her skin, Sammy screamed, the pain was unbearable._

_Blood poured out onto the floor as she attempted to struggle out of her mother's hold, but her mom just held on to her hair tighter digging the broken glass in to her chest and across her breasts._

" _You're dripping allover my carpet! Get your damn self cleaned up," her mother shouted releasing the hold on her hair._

_Sammy cried out at the overwhelming pain clutching her stomach in her arms. She had to get to the hospital. She knew she couldn't survive this. She limped towards the door blood pouring from her mouth, chest, and stomach as she stared broken hearted at the woman who had once been her savior._

" _Go to hell, mother," she said spitting blood out on to the carpet before slamming the door behind her._

_She pressed on the wounds as she made her way to the car in desperation. It didn't feel like the gashes were too deep. She feared bleeding out over anything else. The car started and she hit the gas peddle, peeling out of the driveway as quick as possible. She was on the main road toward the hospital grasping the steering wheel in one hand and her stomach in the other as her vision started to fade. This was it, it was all over. Sammy pulled the car over, she was giving up, allowing death to take her when she heard the sound of metal against metal. The last sight before passing out was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen, stunning blonde hair and intoxicating gold eyes, he was an angel, her savior had finally come._

"OH MY GOD, SAMMY!" I shouted coming out of my red haze and clutching her tightly in my arms as I pet her hair. "Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me, Sammy. I would have protected you from her."

"From who, Izzy?" She asked and I released her staring into her eyes.

"Your mother, Sammy, she should have paid for what she did to you," I stated with conviction.

"How do you know about that?" She questioned furrowing her brow and I couldn't give her an answer, couldn't explain what just happened.

"She saw it," Demetri answered for me, pulling himself to his feet and with the anger gone I knew none of what he said was true.

"I am so sorry, Demetri. I don't know what's wrong with me." I said looking over at him.

"Don't worry about that and there's nothing wrong with you. Anger seems to be the only way you can control it right now," Demetri said looking at me with awe.

"Control what?" I asked.

"You're what Aro has spent decades searching for, Bella. He sent his guards to the end of the Earth looking. He had no idea if someone like you even existed; I suppose you didn't until now…You have a gift that tops all others because you can have any ability you come in contact with…You absorb other's powers, Bella." Demetri announced and I literally couldn't see straight.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me?" I stated in amazement and fear. "Me, Bella Swan, are you sure, Demetri?"

"You threw me against the wall with your mind, that's Derek's gift, Bella, telekinesis. You saw all of Sammy's thoughts with one touch, just like Aro. You made me writher in pain, a perfect match to Jane's gift. So, yes I'm pretty damn sure," Demetri replied with a chuckle.

This is impossible. It can't be… I'm a simple person. I never wanted power. I just wanted Edward.

"But why didn't I absorb Edward's gift and what about Jasper's and Alice's?" I demanded my voice getting louder. "You want to explain that to me, Demetri?"

Sammy grabbed onto my shoulders bringing my attention back to her. It wasn't a good time to get angry. We didn't have the time for another melt down.

"Izzy, your shield, if it's like mine, which I'm pretty sure now, it's exactly like mine," Sammy said looking at Demetri and giving him a smile before looking back at me. "Than you probably can't absorb when it's up, our shields don't hold up well under extremely bad emotional pressure. It takes a lot of control to keep it up when you're really angry or really scared, control that can only be gained through undergoing the change."

"It makes perfect sense, Bella," Derek chimed in.

"I can't handle this right now. I don't want all this power. I just want Edward, that's all I ever wanted!" I cried out and Sammy pulled my head back up against her chest, rubbing my head soothingly.

"Well, let's go get him then," Sammy said and I nodded my head wiggling free of her hold.

"We have to find Rosalie first. Edward would be upset if I left her here no matter what she's done she's still family. Demetri, will you be able to find her?" I asked and he gave me a nod rushing out the door and arriving several minutes later with a tense Rosalie in tow.

"You're not forgiven, Rosalie, not even close, but I don't have time for you right now," I told her with a cold emotionless voice as I flew out the door running full speed for Forks. I could hear the sounds of foot steps on the ground behind me, four sets.

My feet pounded against the ground as my mind raced. What have I gotten myself into? Even if I can get Edward to remember me, will it be worth it? Aro will come searching for me and his whole family will be on the run, constantly hiding. We'll never have a moment of peace. Aro will never stop. Could I give up the chance to be with him to save him and his family from that life? Could I live without Edward for eternity?

I knew the answer; I would never be able to survive without Edward, but I would give him the choice, he deserves that much. If he doesn't want me after I exterminate Tanya than I will leave. It will be hard, but I would do that for him, give him a life I can no longer have, one not filled with constant fear of death.

The closer it got to sunrise, the more I started to panic. I had a day and a half of running left to do and only one day to do it in. If my heart could beat it would be pounding out of my chest with worry as the sun came up behind my back, taunting me, punishing me. My anger had gotten the best of me and now I was going to be too late. I screamed out as I tried to push my legs to go faster, but I was already moving as a blur.

I hadn't hunted since I woke up and the thirst made my throat burn like a never ending fire, but I pushed past it, not giving myself the opportunity to stop. Hunting would have to wait. By night fall we were somewhere in Saskatchewan and I was dry sobbing as I ran my cold heart aching as the lyrics to the song I had heard in Sammy's thoughts earlier came to mind.

_The night is deafening when the silence is listening  
And I'm down on my knees, and I know that something is missing.  
Because the back of my mind is holding things I'm relying in  
But I choose to ignore it because I'm always denying them_

_I'm a bit of a manic when it's not as I plan it  
Cause I start losing my head and then I get up in a panic  
Remember when we were kids and always knew when to quit it  
Are we denying a crisis or are we scared of admitting it?_

_I don't want to know_

_I just want to run to you  
And break off the chains, and throw them away  
I just want to be so much  
And shake off the dust that turned me to rust  
Sooner than later, I'll need a savior, I'll need a savior_

_It won't ever change if you want it to stay the same  
I really hate it but I know it's hard to choose if you're chained  
And when it's all you control cause you've got nothing else to hold  
You're getting tighter and tighter, it's getting harder to let it go_

_I don't want to know_

_I just want to run to you  
And break off the chains, and throw them away  
I just want to be so much  
And shake off the dust that turned me to rust  
Sooner than later, I'll need a savior  
I'll need a savior_

_Stand me up and maybe I won't be so small  
Free my hands and feet and maybe I won't always fall...  
save me_

_I just want to run to you  
And break off the chains, and throw them away  
I just want to be so much  
And shake off the dust that turned me to rust  
I just want to run to you  
and break off the chains and throw them away  
I just want to be so much  
and shake off the dust that turned me to rust  
Sooner than later, I'll need a savior  
I'll need a savior._

And I don't know how it's possible, but I felt myself moving faster, my feet picking up pace. I looked up into the night sky whispering into the darkness.

"Thank you."

I couldn't hear the four sets of feet running behind me anymore. I was alone because I was faster than the others, maybe even stronger. The sun came up just as I was crossing over the border into Washington and all my mind could think of was Edward. A few more hours and I would have his arms around me again, his velvet voice in my ear, his soft touch.

I arrived in Forks around noon running as fast as my feet could carry me, which was probably faster than any car on the market, coming to an abrupt halt at the realization that I didn't even know where they were at. The panic began to rise in me again replaced quickly by explosive anger. SHIT, FUCK! YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME! I was losing it; I actually felt like my brain would explode, but as the red haze took over my vision again I remembered something, Demetri's power! Come on, Bella, you can do this! I closed my eyes and thought only of Edward. Clearing my mind of everything else I allowed myself to feel him once again, to search for his presence. Pushing hard I searched my mind I didn't even know what I should be looking for until I saw it, a small dim light.

Opening my eyes I followed the light's pull, that gut feeling that I was going in the right direction as I picked up speed running through the forest. My throat burned, my heart ached and I looked towards the heavens as I let out a silent plea. Please don't let me be too late. I could hear voices up ahead and they slowly became clearer.

"If there is anyone here who believes these two should not be wed speak now or forever hold your peace," a man's gentle voice said, Carlisle.

I walked through the brush into a large clearing, our meadow, to find Edward and Tanya standing at the end of a long white aisle, chairs filled with the Denalis, the Cullens, and Drake. My vision turned bright red as I took in the sight of Tanya holding Edward's hand and that was all it took for me to lose every bit of composure I had.

"I object!" I shouted as I flew down the aisle wrapping my hand around Tanya's neck pulling her off of the ground. Everyone came to their feet and ran towards us only to smack into the shield I had so thankfully absorbed from Renata. Both families started to shout, Carlisle's voice booming above them all.

"What is going on here?"

"Do you want to tell them what you've been up to or should I?" I growled at Tanya squeezing her tighter as she tried to rip at me with her bitch claws. She was pissing me off so I used my telekinesis to rip her arms from her body causing that agonizing metal ripping sound as she screamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, you crazy bitch!" Tanya hissed spitting venom in my face as Sammy, Derek, Demetri, and Rosalie came through the tree line.

"BULL SHIT! Tanya and Drake have been manipulating all of you!" Rosalie screamed.

"Izzy, concentrate, cover everyone with your mental shield!" Sammy yelled and I fought the urge to ignore her.

Once I shielded everyone I would need to end Tanya quickly as to not start a full on family war between the Cullens and Denalis. It's one thing to kill someone for betraying you it's a whole other thing to make them suffer and the Denalis would not appreciate it if I made Tanya suffer. I wanted so bad to draw out this moment to torture Tanya until she begged for mercy that I just couldn't help myself. I dug my nails into Tanya loving how her precious marble skin bent under my will as I searched for the rope in my mind pulling it taut around everyone, but Drake and Tanya. I released Tanya from my hold forcing her onto the ground and using Jane's power to make her squeal in agony.

"Do you have any last words, Tanya?" I asked giving the bitch her last opportunity to speak.

"Fuck you," Tanya wailed as she contorted beneath me.

"Sorry, but I'll be too busy fucking Edward," I said with evil glee before using my power to rip her heart from her chest placing it on the ground. I smashed my foot against it making it shatter as I shred her body into nothing more than tiny pieces of flesh. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Drake take off into the woods…coward. I let him go I had what I wanted.

I pulled my physical shield down as I lit a match throwing it on the dismembered pieces of Tanya's body and letting the filthy whore burn. The red haze faded and I focused in on Edward. His brow was furrowed the effects of Drake's ability still wearing off, but I couldn't wait I latched my arms around him linking my lips with his emitting every ounce of passion I could muster into him as I tugged on his hair with my fingers. After several moments he finally came to latching his arms around my waist and tugging me into him, moaning against my lips. Rain started to pour drenching everything and every one as his tongue attacked mine and I was home again.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**EPOV**

The woman I was just about to declare my unwavering commitment to was dead, and oddly enough I didn't care in the slightest. Something about Bella Swan's lips against mine made sense, felt right and than it all came back to me in a flash, every tender touch, every perfect word and I couldn't keep my hands to myself. BELLA! HOLY FUCK, BELLA! I gripped her hips pulling her against me as I moaned into her mouth and the feeling of her skin against mine made me immediately hard. Oh god, how could I forget this wonderful woman? I let the thought go; I would have eternity to make it up to her, to smother her with love, starting now.

Rain began to fall from the sky soaking everything, making Bella's hair stick to her face as I clung to her. A few drops rolled down from my hair to drip on her chest causing her nipples to harden. Her taut pebbles rubbed against me eliciting a groan from my mouth as I released her lips. She looked glorious, skin slightly more pale than it had been, full supple ruby red lips, and bright red eyes that I had feared just over four months before. I took her face in my palm rubbing her cheek as the rain dripped down it like fresh water tears and if I could cry I would have. I stared at her in awe absorbing the exhilarating shock between us, hitting me so much harder than it ever had.

"God, I love you…," I whispered lifting her in my arms without another word and taking off through the forest. I could hear my family screaming, none of their words registering as I ran full hilt sloshing through the mud towards home.

My arms held her tighter than they ever had, cradling her body flush to mine. I couldn't take my eyes off of her sweet face, the delicious scent of her arousal making my mouth drip with venom. Bella peered up at me smiling a sexy smile that made her eyes glimmer. I wanted to be inside of her more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. Bella gripped my hair tugging my face towards hers with all her new born strength and I knew we would never make it home. Thunder boomed shaking the Earth beneath us as I wrapped her legs around me and slammed her back into the nearest tree, devouring her lips with mine. Her hands were everywhere, twisted in my hair, gripping my shoulders, clawing at my back and it was invigorating.

I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth nibbling and pulling on it as she moaned pushing her body into mine. My hands ran over her body yanking at her wet clothes and tearing them apart. My lips attacked her neck sucking on it harder than I ever dared when she was human causing her to growl and I damn near came at the sound. Her tiny fingers gripped and tugged at my tux ripping the flimsy fabric off of me. I clutched her ass in my hands squeezing it tight as her sexy lips encased my earlobe suckling it in her warm mouth. My cock twitched involuntarily with anticipation as I placed it at her ready entrance.

"Bella…," I moaned softly as I peppered her neck and shoulders with kisses holding back the moment, savoring her sweet strawberry scent.

"Please..., fuck me, Edward…I need you," Bella whimpered need thick in her voice, wriggling in my grasp and I didn't have to be told twice.

I rammed my cock into her dripping wet center without a second thought throwing my head back as her tight walls enveloped me. She was tight, so tight, so wet, so mine!

"FUCK!" I screamed lightning striking the tree I had Bella against, causing a large branch to fall to the ground.

Her fingers tangled in my hair before sliding down my back digging in and creating the most wonderful mixture of pleasure and pain. I continued to hold her ass with my left hand while I fondled her breasts in my right twisting her nipples between my thumb and fore finger as I began to thrust into her, hitting the spot that made her toes curl with every pass.

"Edward," Bella moaned as her eyes rolled back and she looked so beautiful, the rain glistening on her face, her mouth opening and closing as she made soft mewling noises.

"Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you are?" I asked softly in a strained voice while I thrust deeper into her cupping her breast and rubbing her taut nipple with my thumb.

"You're so perfect…god, Bella, you're so intoxicating…you consume me…all of me, every last bit," I whimpered against her flesh leaving open mouth kisses on her neck and chest between phrases as her inner walls began to spasm around me. I fought back the urge to come, holding out as she clamped onto me screaming my name while her slick juices ran over my cock.

"EDWARD!"

"Ugh, I love you, Edward…so much," Bella whispered into my ear relaxing her head against my shoulder.

"I love you too, but I'm not quite down with you yet, love," I replied pulling us both onto the ground with Bella beneath me.

My cock throbbed with need, but it would have to wait. My lips trailed down from her neck as she squirmed, her skin soft, but no longer delicate underneath my tongue. I nipped at her breasts with my teeth, twirling my tongue around each nipple sucking it into my mouth and nibbling on it. Bella's fingers caressed my hair as she arched her chest closer to me letting out the sweetest moans. I regretfully moved my lips away from her breasts after several minutes with a groan and moved my lips lower still, towards paradise.

There were water droplets all over my Bella's body, but I continued to lick her skin sucking on the area just above my target enjoying the view above me. Bella's hands released my hair digging into the mud at her side as she bucked herself wildly towards me, impatient and needy. I curled my arms around her thighs to grasp her ass as I ran my tongue from her belly button to her swollen nub. She was wet not only with rain, but soaked from her own juices, the scent filling my nostrils and making me moan loudly. I ran my tongue flat against her clit and Bella squealed bucking her pussy into my face causing a growl to escape my lips. I growled against her flesh flicking my tongue across her nub as she screamed pulling on her own hair.

"FUCK!"

My cock was aching, my balls tight as I delved my tongue into her center, lapping at the moisture there. Bella whimpered and moaned her walls quickly beginning to spasm and I groaned as they clenched coating my mouth with her delicious taste and I couldn't hold back not even for another minute.

I flew to my knees flipping Bella into the mud on all fours with a growl. I grabbed her ass in my hands as I slammed my cock into her at full force smacking my balls against her incredibly swollen clit. I dug my fingers into the hard flesh of her ass as I began to pound into her growling loudly out of control. Bella snarled and clawed at the ground before she began thrusting back into me screaming my name as she arched her back.

"Edward!"

"That's it, Bella…scream my name, scream so everybody knows you're mine," I growled wrapping my hand in her hair and tugging on it with all my strength while I smacked her ass. Rain kept falling around us, thunder making everything shake more as I plowed into her, her walls starting to spasm while she growled and hissed. I flipped her again pushing her back into the mud wanting to see the look in her eyes when she came.

"MINE!" I shouted and Bella's nails dug into my back again dragging across my flesh while our moans and growls filled the air. My stomach began to coil with my coming climax as I thrust into her deep and hard.

"YOURS! ALL YOURS!" Bella screamed her walls beginning to spasm again causing my cock to stiffen more. "I'm…fuck…I'm,"

"That's it, good girl. Come for me now, Bella!" I growled and the moment the words left my lips her teeth came down hard on my shoulder as her pussy tightened around me.

Her teeth in my skin, her tight walls, and her slick juices made my body begin to shake and convulse. I sank my teeth into the spot just below her ear while I released within her harder and stronger than I ever had, growling against her skin the sky nothing, but flashes of lightning as I left my permanent mark on her.

I was in euphoric bliss, the world fading around me as I removed my teeth from Bella's neck and she removed hers from my shoulder. Her eyes sparkled with love, her lips turning up into a loving smile answered by my own.

"I love you so much more than words, my Bella," I whispered pulling her lips to mine caressing her cheek with my hand while we descended from our orgasm induced high.

I could feel the gentle tap of the rain against my bare back, like feathers against my skin as I held her close, tangled my tongue with hers. Releasing her lips I began to nuzzle her neck leaving soft kisses on the now already healed barely noticeable crescent mark just below her ear hidden behind her chocolate brown locks.

"I love you more than words, my Edward," she whispered kissing at my shoulder at her permanent mark on me and I felt my cool heart warm.

The rain subsided and we laid together there for hours, sinking into the wet Earth as we embraced each other, neither speaking nor doing anything else. Finally, as the sky darkened with the coming night I pulled myself to my feet.

"Are you ready to go home, love?" I asked holding my hand out for Bella. She answered with a nod grasping my hand with hers and pulling herself to her feet still naked soaked in mud.

I started to walk towards the house Bella's hand in mine, but she tugged my hand making me face her, sadness clouding her beautiful face.

"What's wrong, my Bella," I questioned looking deeply into her eyes and pulling her close.

"I need to tell you what I did, Edward, how I ended up this way," she replied gesturing to her body moving her gaze to the ground. "And I don't know if you'll want to be with me anymore…I'm too dangerous now."

I knew we would have to have this conversation that I would need to figure out how she was changed, who the vampires were that she came back with, her apparent extra abilities but I really wanted to savor the moment with Bella besides I wanted to get her home, hold her for a while longer before we discussed anything. We both had a lot of talking to do.

"Nothing you could ever do could make me not want to be with you," I said placing my finger on the bottom of her chin and guiding it up so I could look her in the eyes. "If you want to talk about this we will. Could we get cleaned up first though? I think you're beautiful no matter what you look like, but you still might want to get that mud out of your hair."

I chuckled and she responded with a giggle before speaking.

"Maybe we could hunt first, I haven't eaten for over a week and my throat feels like it's on fire now that I don't have a distraction."

"A week? Bella, you really should hunt more often than that," I replied shaking my head slightly and she pouted. "I just worry about you, you know that. We'll talk about it later, love. Come on let's get you something to eat."

We took of running her hand in mine, but Bella's senses soon took over and she darted east taking off towards a mountain lion releasing my hand. She was fast and so much more graceful than human Bella. She pounded on the mountain lion with the grace of a ballet dancer, snapping its neck and draining it quickly. I would miss human Bella, catching her as she tripped over her own feet, feeling the warmth of her blush, the heat of her touch, but there was something truly amazing about vampire Bella, it was like she was born to be a vampire.

She finished her meal wiping the blood off her mouth with her arm and she looked fantastic, covered in mud and the blood of her kill, naked in all her glory. I let out a groan and tried to stop the flow of venom to my cock, to hold the beast at bay, but it didn't obey. My cock twitched to life and Bella let out a soft moan as she walked towards me swaying her hips from side to side. She gripped my erection in her hand stroking it in her grasp and I couldn't stop the growl that escaped me.

"Why, Edward, it appears you have a bit of a problem," she teased as she rubbed the tip with her thumb spreading the pre come that escaped me.

"Fuck, Bella," I moaned and she cocked her head to the side giving me a wicked grin as she continued to stroke me.

"I suppose we could do that, but I would so much rather you fuck my mouth, Edward. I've missed your taste so much," she whispered and my cock began to throb in her hand as she dropped to her knees in front of me taking her tongue and licking leisurely around my tip.

The sight of her on her knees below me was nearly my undoing, she was playing dirty and fuck I loved it, naughty Bella had come out to play.

"You're being a bad girl, my Bella," I replied petting her hair with my hand, groaning at the feel of her wet tongue against me.

"Why would you say that, my Edward?" she questioned mockingly while she stroked me from tip to base, slowly in her skilled hand.

"Because good girls use their whole mouth, you're being a cock tease and that's just cruel," I growled grabbing her hair tightly in my hand.

Bella opened her mouth for me and I slid my cock into her warm cavern moaning as her tongue ran over the underside of my cock.

"Mm, fuck, so warm…twirl your tongue for me, love," I moaned and Bella swirled her tongue around me causing me to hiss in pleasure.

I pushed my cock further into her mouth as she hummed around me the vibrations making my balls tighten. I could smell her arousal in the air, she was getting wet from this and that just made my balls tighten more. She loved when I took control.

"Be a good girl and use your hands, Bella," I said husky and commanding while I began to thrust in and out of her mouth slowly, savoring every flick of her tongue, every vibration from her soft moans.

Her left hand came up to cradle my balls, fondling them while she stroked the base of my cock with her right hand. She rubbed her thighs together whimpering as I fucked her mouth, slow at first, but faster with each thrust.

"That's it…good girl, fuck…just like that…" I groaned as I pulled in and out of her, her tongue flicking around me, her lips sucking me in, her fingers massaging me while my stomach started to tighten.

"Bella, I'm…I'm…," I whimpered and Bella moaned a loud muffled yes against my cock as it stiffened.

I released into her mouth with a growl and Bella hummed with pleasure while she swallowed every drop greedily. Grabbing her I pulled her up to me. The house was still five minutes away, but my parent's cabin was a quick two minute sprint from here. My parents kept a cabin for when nomads who needed a quick shower and some time to relax would come through. They didn't feel comfortable allowing them to stay in the house, but felt obligated to provide others of our kind with clean clothes and a shower.

Picking Bella up I ran to the cabin kissing her the whole way, never allowing her lips to leave mine. She moaned and wriggled in my hold rubbing her thighs together for friction. I rushed into the cabin straight to the bathroom stopping only to place Bella on the counter as I turned the shower on. Nestling between her legs I slide a finger through her folds and she let out a loud moan.

"You're dripping wet, do you like it when I fuck you mouth? Is that why you're so wet, love?" I asked teasingly while I pushed my middle finger into her, slowly.

Bella's head flew back almost smacking into the mirror as she growled.

"Yes!"

"Well, you've been such a good girl that I think you deserve a reward, don't you?" I questioned before tugging on one of her nipples with my teeth.

She whimpered unable to speak, but I would get her to.

"Why aren't you speaking to me, my Bella? Is something wrong?" I taunted curling my middle finger to rub against her g spot. "Why don't you tell me exactly what you want?"

"Ugh, Edward…," she moaned needy and desperate.

"You already have me, love. Now, why don't you try telling me what you want me to do with this dripping wet pussy of yours?" I whispered in her ear causing Bella to groan loudly bucking her wet center to push my finger in deeper.

"Fuck me with your fingers and use that incredible tongue on my pussy, now or your going to know what it feels like to be punished my filthy Edward!" she screamed loud latching her fingers onto my hair and shoving my head down. She was clearly frustrated and damn was it hot.

"As you wish," I said with a smile before reaching out my tongue and lapping at her clit ferociously.

I added another finger into her center and started pumping wildly in and out as she clenched her hands on the marble sink growling menacingly. I heard the counter crack and crumble under her hands as her sweetness coated my tongue once again.

"Faster, harder!" Bella commanded and I obliged pounding into her faster and harder curling my fingers with every thrust as I nipped at her clit. "Fuck, Edward! Yes! Yes!"

I could feel her walls starting to pulse so I sucked her clit into my mouth flicking my tongue across it as fast as possible.

"Edward!" Bella screamed as a flood of her juices began to flow out of her. I sucked my fingers clean quickly and then proceeded to clean up savoring every trace of Bella's deliciousness. The room was filled with steam from the hot shower making her scent strong in the room from heat.

"I love you, my Bella," I whispered pulling her into the shower.

"I love you too, my Edward," she replied as she ran her hair under the hot water.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**EPOV**

We showered taking our time to lather each other in soap. I washed the mud from Bella's hair, she really was a mess. We laughed the whole time ignoring the giant elephant in the room. We still needed to talk and we would have to when we got out of the shower. The family would want to see us in the morning and I wanted to know everything that Bella was going to tell them, I truly didn't want to be surprised by anything in front of everyone.

Both of us dried off slowly, minds clearly on the same thing. We were drawing out our time together, enjoying the few more moments of ignorant bliss before we began. I towed Bella into the well stocked closet and we dressed before going to the bedroom. We lay down on the bed curled into one another, my arm around her in silence. After several minutes she looked up at me worry once again clouding her beautiful features.

"So, I guess we should probably talk now?" I asked her and she responded with a nod.

"Where should I start?" She questioned mostly to herself, but I answered her anyway quoting one of the lines from Alice in Wonderland that was sure to make her smile.

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop."

I gave her a crocked smile and she smiled in return just like I expected her to before she started telling me about her time away from me.

Bella explained how she decided to go to Volterra. I couldn't believe she had faced the Volturi human and lived to tell about it or that Aro had actually agreed to change her. Who would have ever suspected that my Bella had such a pull on people? I checked her neck for scars trying to be stealthy, but of course she noticed what I was doing.

"There isn't one, Edward. I'm not quite sure why. I didn't even know biting left a scar," she admitted sheepishly and if she could still blush she would be bright red. "Sorry about that."

"Well I'm not. Now everyone will know that I'm yours," I replied with a wide smile and she smiled lovingly back at me. "When the wound is licked closed it doesn't leave a scar, but if you allow it to heal on it's own it will. It's the only thing that scars our bodies."

I was grateful that Aro had licked the wound closed. I don't know how I would deal with her having his permanent mark on her. The thought itself made me wish I could vomit. She told me about the promise she made to Aro and my dead heart clenched with fear. She had no intention on keeping her promise, but I knew from Carlisle that Aro would not give up without a fight, he would hunt her down, kill anything in his path to get to what he wanted. Bella tensed in my arms and I could tell that she was scared too.

"Don't worry, love, I'll protect you," I said rubbing her back and she started shaking her head vigorously.

"I can protect myself. It's not about protecting _me_ , Edward. How are you going to protect your family? You and your family will be in constant fear of death around me. Aro would kill any of you to get to me," she replied with worry.

"I'll find a way, my Bella, I'm not letting you take on the Volturi by yourself and I'm sure my family will feel the exact same way. I love you more than anything, love, and my family loves you too," I said softly.

"If you stay with me I'll shield you all with my own life, Edward. I will not let any of you die for me, I promise you that," she declared staring hard into my eyes. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop me from protecting every last one of you even if that means giving up my own life. Are you prepared for that? Because it's your choice, stay with me and risk losing me or I'll go and you can live in peace."

I couldn't move, couldn't think. She had to be kidding. I would never allow her to die for me and I damn sure was not going to let her leave.

"You can't possibly be serious, my Bella? Neither of those are even options, there tragedies," I stated wide eyed and she jumped up from the bed giving me a glare.

"Well, I am, Edward, and if you won't make a decision I will. I don't intend to stick around so I can watch you and your family die," she yelled fuming in anger. "I won't live in a world without you in it even if that means I can't be with you."

She started dry sobbing, falling to the ground in front of me. Things began flying across the room, vases, clothes, scraps of wood swirling around the room like a tornado and I didn't know what to do. I ran to her, but smacked into a wall, some sort of a shield like she had put up earlier.

"BELLA!" I screamed and pounded on the invisible wall, but she just continued to cry out in tearless sobs curling into a ball on the floor.

I couldn't decide what to do. Do I run to the house to get help? Do I stay with her and wait it out? FUCK! WHAT DO I DO? I broke out into dry sobs of my own pounding hard with my fists against the barrier. Than one moment it was there the next moment it was gone my hand meeting nothing, but air. Bella was lying on the floor clearly not moving.

"Bella!" I cried as I rushed over to her still form.

I felt a twinge of something from Bella, something deep inside telling me she was still alive. I needed to get her to the house, to Carlisle. I had never seen something like this before. After pulling her into my arms I bolted out of the door taking off towards the house as fast as my feet could go. All I could hear was the smack of the wet ground against my feet and the steady even breaths I took out of habit, but only one set never two.

_Edward…_

I heard Bella's voice, but when I looked down her lips weren't moving.

_Black…_

Once again there was no movement. Could it be? Could I really be hearing her thoughts after all this time? I continued to stare at her lips waiting for another word to escape her, but nothing did. Carlisle's thoughts began to filter in, accompanied by the thoughts of two of Bella's travel buddies. The rest of the family was off chasing after the Denalis a fight broke out about Tanya's death and they were trying to make peace I suppose.

_Fascinating, it seems he has quite a story. Who would have ever imagined that there was another vampire doctor out there?_

_I wonder if Sammy would consider moving here to stay close with the Cullens. Carlisle would make a great mentor. I could learn so much from him._

_That girl from the Denali clan was so mesmerizing, that electrical shocking power is pretty cool, hurt like a bitch though. There are so many talents here. I hope Bella's shield is holding up alright._

I ran through the front door straight to Carlisle's office to find the three vampires Bella had come back with sitting with Carlisle. A young tall and lean man with dark brown hair and red eyes jumped up as soon as the door opened rushing to my side.

_Damn it, not again. Edward is so scared he looks like he's taken on a pack of newborns._

"Again? Has this happened before?" I asked him not even bothering to explain myself.

_WHAT THE…Oh yeah, he's a mind reader._

"Bella has a tendency to pass out when she absorbs new powers," said a young woman with long, wavy chestnut hair and topaz eyes.

Strange, I couldn't read her thoughts at all, but I wasn't about to concern myself with that at the moment. Did she seriously just say absorb powers?

"Absorb?" I questioned my eyes wide as saucers. "As in Bella will wake up with my power?"

_I wish we had a better explanation for him. I suppose Carlisle and I could do some research, see what we can come up with._

"And most likely your family's powers too…It seems she picks them up if there in close proximity. We haven't determined how close she has to be yet though," said a man with blonde hair and topaz eyes. "You might want to lay her down, last time she was out for six days."

"Six days!" I shouted.

_You really should listen to these three, Edward. They know much more than you do about Bella's current state._

"Calm down, son. Lay her down in your room. Obviously, we have many things we have to discuss. If you wish we can do it in there," Carlisle said and I gave him a nod.

I peered down at the unconscious angel in my arms, carrying her into my room. I stripped the room and bed of anything that smelled like Tanya's disgusting, over powering daffodil scent. Covering the bed in the blue comforter I once shared with Bella that Tanya had made me remove from the bed, she hated blue. Laying Bella down on the bed I proceeded in collecting several pictures, a yellow comforter, and the rest of Tanya's things. I threw them into the back yard through the large French doors in my room creating a heaping pile of her shit and lighting it ablaze without a second thought.

When I was finally done I looked up to see Carlisle standing in the door way with the three other vampires all with curious looks on their faces. I shook my head not wanting to explain. I didn't want to talk about Tanya. In fact I wanted to forget she ever existed. Bella would look like she was sleeping if she wasn't on her back with her arms to her side unnaturally. I covered her with the blue comforter sitting on the bed beside her and ushering the group in. The three visitors walked in taking a seat on my black leather couch and Carlisle pulled up a chair.

"This is Demetri, Sammy and Derek," Carlisle stated pointing first to the brown haired gentleman then to the girl and finally the blonde. "Did Bella get the chance to tell you about any of them?"

"No, I'm afraid we've been rather occupied up until about an hour ago," I said with a nervous laugh and the others let out small giggles and chuckles of their own.

"Well, I'm really pleased to meet you, Edward. I'm glad that someone was able to be there for Bella after her parents died. I really wish it could have been me," Sammy said with a sad smile.

"It's alright, darling, at least now she knows you're alive. You'll have all the time in the world to make up for the time you've lost," Derek told her as he rubbed her knee.

Derek's thoughts were all about Sammy and the many times he had held her as she sobbed over the loss of her friend. My face must have shown how puzzled I was because Sammy took one look at me and gave me an apologetic smile before proceeding to tell me about a night two years ago. It was a sad story, but thankfully it had a happy ending which I got to see first hand through Derek's mind.

_Derek was just about to leave for the 20 minute drive from Mesa to Phoenix Children's Hospital for his night shift when the heavy scent of human blood invaded his nostrils and told him that someone was badly hurt. He had spent many years as a doctor, but the scent still made his throat itch. He kept the thirst at bay rushing out of the house and towards the cause finding what looked like an abandoned Nissan Altima on the side of the road._

_Derek tore open the car door, making a horrible sound of metal against metal to reveal the most exquisite creature he had ever seen. Her eyes were an entrancing hazel, her long wavy chestnut hair stuck to her face from the sweat covering her, blood pouring from her mouth, chest and stomach. He had seen many humans die from blood loss and knew this woman was very close to losing the battle._

_Her angelic eyes closed and he began to panic, knowing he would never make it to the nearest hospital in time to save her life. He used his telekinesis power to lift her out of the car and into his arms not wanting to jostle her. What do I do? I can't let her die. He felt something for the woman in his arms, something so much stronger than he had ever felt for anyone else. I could change her, but I've never done that before. Would she even want that? She's going to die if I don't do something soon. He raced home arriving and laying her on the bed just as he heard her heart beat start to slow it was time to make a decision._

" _Please forgive me," he pleaded, leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her neck before sinking his teeth in._

_He had abstained from drinking from humans since his awakening nearly 100 years prior and her blood was sweet ambrosia. It ran over his tongue soothing the itch and causing him to groan in satisfaction. Dear god, I have to stop. Find the will to stop, Derek. Just then the woman let out a soft moan and Derek injected his venom before sealing the wound forcing himself away with the use of his power. The woman screamed in agony and he knew that the venom was circulating. For three days he sat with her petting her hair and holding her in his grasp. Three days of listening to her scream and cry every sound making his cold heart ache with sorrow until her heart thumped its final beat._

_Her eyes opened and focused in on Derek's and the wonderful woman just smiled the most beautiful, lovely smile reaching up with vampire speed and placing her palm on his cheek._

" _My savior, you came for me," she whispered pulling his face to hers capturing both his lips and his heart._

"But I'm sure you want to hear about Bella not about us," Sammy said finishing her story and smiling that same lovely smile at Derek before looking at Demetri.

"I suppose that's where I come in," Demetri whined rolling his eyes mockingly with a sarcastic sigh.

_Does everyone need to know that I got saved by a girl? Sure, she's a powerful girl, but a girl none the less._

We all laughed, I mostly did because Demetri's words and thoughts reminded me so much of Emmett, nothing was worse to Emmett than being rescued by a girl.

"I'll bore you all with my tale some other time. Basically it ends with me being forced into the guard for the Volturi and Bella using her shield to free me from Marcus' ability," Demetri said bypassing the rest of his story.

I saw it all in his mind anyway and sure it wasn't a story filled with great tragedy or heroic moves, but I had discovered over the years that all the knowledge I could gain about our kind may be useful at some point so I stored his story away along with all the others I had seen over the years.

_He was born in 1880 and grew up on the outskirts of Dartford, England a small town just two hours ride by horse from London. He was taught to track wild game by his father, a hunter, when he was very young and took over the role of the man of the house after his father died when he was 16. At the age of 20 an older man moved back to the town to tend to his late father's farm. He brought with him his daughter, a 17 year old woman that the whole town was a buzz over._

_Although he had not met this woman yet, he had heard marvelous things about her witty charm and bold humor. He had seen her from afar earlier that day her long corn silk blonde hair, a glint of her emerald green eyes and she just had this electricity about her. He was driven to court the woman and ask for her hand so he had decided to take a walk into town and introduce himself formally._

_It was dark out and there were no street lights on the country road into town, but it was a well known route and he would find his way easily with his keen sense of direction. He had never been excited about settling down until he saw the beautiful blonde and now he found himself envisioning the perfect country life for the two of them, coming home after a hunt to a warm cooked meal by his wife, two precious children with his dark brown hair and her emerald green eyes running about._

_He was so enthralled with his own fantasy that he neglected to see the man in the gray cloak approaching him and by the time he noticed the gentleman it was already too late. The man had his arms latched around Demetri, his teeth deep in his neck. When he awoke the scorching pain was gone and he found himself in the Volturi castle, newly reborn and thirsty._

The woman in Demetri's memory seemed oddly familiar. He was far away though so I really couldn't make out too many details and I'm not to sure he could either. In fact I doubt he would know it was her if she was a foot in front of him. Demetri started explaining how Bella and he got here and I listened intently making sure to catalogue everything of importance, waiting until he was done to ask my questions.

"So, let me make sure I understand this. Bella has all the Volturi's power and all of your powers?" I asked and they all gave me a nod.

I looked over at Bella and admired her beautiful face seeing my Bella, that tiny fragile human girl, unable to envision her as the all powerful vampire that these three saw her as. The front door opened and I heard the well known steps of my family as they made their way up the stairs and into the room. I must say I was surprised to see the Denalis accompanying them.

"Bella!" Alice screamed jumping onto the bed and wrapping her arms around her before a puzzled look came across her face. "Why is Bella asleep? Vampires don't sleep. I'm so sick of not being able to see everything anymore!"

Everyone laughed and I gave the laughter some time to cool down before I explained the situation. A few took seats on the floor as I started others leaned against the wall. My room can be a bit cramped for 15 vampires, but they all fit, each with their own space. They listened intently waiting to ask questions just as I had done.

"So, Bella is going to wake up with all of our powers?" Jasper asked Demetri and I could tell from his thoughts how much that worried him.

_I hope my power doesn't hit her too hard. When I woke up with it I nearly tore myself apart._

"Yes, but she doesn't use all the powers continuously. Her powers only work when she's extremely emotional. I think it's because as a newborn her emotions are all over the place. I'm sure once she learns to control them she'll be able to use her powers whenever she wants, it's possible she can use her mental shield to block out different parts of her brain, certain powers she doesn't want to use at a specific moment. That's just a theory though," Demetri answers and everyone's thoughts scattered, each one resonating with powerful clarity.

_Wow, who would have thought little Jelly Belly could be so powerful. That's fucking sweet._

_She's powerful alright; I didn't need anyone to tell me that. I'm just glad she didn't snap me like a twig. She's really meant to be a Cullen. I hope she'll forgive me eventually, Edward too._

_The emotions in here are killing me how much shock can one person take? I wonder if she'll still want to play chess. It's been a while since I had a good game. Although I'm sure against her I would be slaughtered with all those powers she's got now._

_Wake up so I can apologize, damn it! I want my best friend back, besides this body will make one rocking Bella Barbie if she doesn't rip me apart with her telekinesis before I get the chance. I wonder if she'll be able to get any clear visions…_

_Such a darling girl, I really hope Edward marries her soon. With all those abilities she really needs a stable relationship, and a stable family._

_When she wakes up I'll run some tests, see if we can start getting her trained to use these powers, Aro will come searching for her soon and she'll be the only one that will be able to stop him._

_I feel like such an idiot. How could my own sister manipulate someone else's mate like that? She got what she deserved. That Demetri guy keeps looking at me, well he is really hot, makes me feel kind of bad for shocking him earlier._

_Oh great Kate's got goo-goo eyes for the new guy. Why am I always left out? At least Edward's found himself someone worthy of him. Bella is such a better choice than Tanya. I can't believe I ever called that witch a sister._

_I've never felt anything so strong before. Her ability is fantastic, maybe Carmen and I can stick around to see how it works._

_Poor Edward, I feel so bad for what Tanya did. I hope Bella will be alright. Maybe Eleazar will be able to help her when she wakes up.  
_

_I hope the Cullens let us stay. Sammy adores Bella and I am dying to get a sample of her venom and get into the lab with Carlisle._

_Wow, she's so gorgeous. That long corn silk blonde hair… Wait a minute!_

I looked between Demetri and Kate, it was so obvious now, mystery solved. This should be interesting. I petted Bella's hair softly and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Wake up soon, my Bella. I love you."

I placed a soft kiss on her lips as everyone filed out of the room one by one and I was left to lay with Bella. I gently hummed her lullaby holding her in my arms as I had done all those times before and waited patiently for Sleeping Beauty to awaken.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**JPOV (Jake)**

I haven't heard from Bella for months, no one has. Charlie's been frantically searching, but I had a feeling Bella didn't want to be found. That or she was too far gone to come back. The violet eyed creatures haven't shown up either so it has been a dull few months on the reservation. My birthday came and went, I'm 16 now. A couple more boys recently joined the pack, Quil and Seth. Seth is still really young, only 14, so I look after him. Plus now that everyone has started imprinting I find it's best to keep as busy as possible.

When I heard the legend about imprinting I must say I was a bit more than skeptical, but then everyone started imprinting left and right. I've heard that it's sort of like love at first sight, but much stronger, like being tethered to the Earth by the life of your imprint. Thing is I'd never believed in love at first sight until Bella came along and that didn't work out at all. Now I have no idea what to believe. I've seen her after my first phase and it proves that we aren't meant for each other. So who am I meant for then?

It probably sounds dumb, but sometimes it feels like everyone is invited to this amazing party and I get left behind to sit and watch paint dry. I don't know what's worse though not imprinting or Paul imprinting on my sister, Rachel. Why did she have to come home after graduation? Now suddenly he's around all the time, constantly, and that temper of his scares the shit out of me. I know he would never hurt Rachel on purpose, but he's always had such a short fuse.

At least I'm glad that my other sister, Rachel's twin, Rebecca, lives in Hawaii with her surfer husband, their expecting their first child too, a boy. That just leaves me and Dad to our lonely existence. We spend time together when I'm not running the border. It's nice to have some father and son bonding time, but I still wish I had someone to care for… someone to love.

"Hey, Jake," Seth called running over. "You ran out pretty far ahead of me. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing, Seth, it's stupid," I replied as I walked back towards home.

We'd just left a meeting with the elders. Turns out Carlisle called to let them know that they have visitors in town. They all are vegetarians, but two of them are very new to the lifestyle so they asked us to keep an eye out. I was curious about the visitors. I had known Edward was marrying that Tanya girl, but that was three days ago and I figured they would be long gone by now. Poor Bella, she would have been perfect for Edward. What an idiot! I certainly never would have forgotten Bella. Hell, I can't even forget her now, even if I know deep down that there will never be anything more than friendship between us.

I felt the anger in me rise. I had fought it back everyday since that first phase, even more so since Bella disappeared. There was nothing I wanted more than to give that leech a piece of my mind or more technically a piece of my fist. He had the most precious thing in the world, love, and without even knowing he crushed it into tiny unfixable pieces. My skin started to shake in tremors my bones about to burst from my skin and I had no choice in the matter I phased taking off towards the Cullen's house at full speed.

"JAKE! What are you doing?" Seth screamed before phasing and taking off running hot on my heels.

_Doing something I should have done a long time ago, Seth. Now you can either come with me and keep your mouth shut or go home, but you're not going to stop me.  
_

I continued pushing myself faster feeling all four of my legs bend with perfect precision. My plan was simple I was going to give Edward what he deserved, a good old fashioned beat down.

_Are you insane, Jake? You can't kill Edward. They'll probably kill you before you even get a chance._

_I'm not going to kill him. I'm only going to ruff him up a bit, knock some sense in to him. Besides if they did kill me what would it matter, it's not like I have a lot going for me._

I was grateful that the only thoughts I could hear were those of Seth and me. I wouldn't want any of the other pack members on my tail. Seth was young, small and I could fight him off easily.

_HEY! Just because I'm young and small doesn't mean I can't take you down, Jake! There are other ways to do it like turning around and running straight to Sam._

_Touché!_

I let out a loud wolf laugh that bellowed through the trees as we neared the edge of the Cullen property. They would probably know we were coming, maybe it was their keen vampire senses, who knows, but it always seemed like they were excepting us every time we'd set foot on their land. To my surprise there was no one waiting on the porch this time, just the sound of voices inside. Good, maybe I would catch him by surprise get the opportunity to at least sink my teeth into him before I get ripped away. Bella deserved that much. For breaking her heart he deserved so much more, but I wouldn't kill him, no, Bella wouldn't want me to do that.

Something tipped the Cullens off to my presence though because in the blink of an eye I found myself muzzle to face with my target. All voices now quiet inside. He was alone standing in front of me like he almost expected me to pounce. I circled him as he talked strong and confidant for the moment.

"I deserve what ever I get, Jacob, and I won't deny that, but you should probably know something before you attack me."

Why would I need to know anything? The only thing I needed to know Bella had already told me. He forgot about her, he had married that bitch over perfect Bella. I let out a deep growl showing my teeth that gleamed brightly in the soft glow of a half moon and Edward shrugged unaffected.

"I know why you're angry, Jacob, and it's understandable. I'm angry with myself, but the truth is Bella is a lot tougher than we both thought. She doesn't let anything stand in the way of what is hers and I _am_ hers just as she _is_ mine," he said a bright smile on his face, not cruel or vindictive, but happy.

I wanted to change into my human form so I could ask him about that, but I wouldn't give him the upper hand.

"You don't have to do that, I can read minds," he replied to my thought and I was stunned, stopping dead in my tracks mid stride.

_No way! That's awesome!_

Edward gave a light chuckle most likely in response to Seth's outburst which knocked me out of my temporary stun. We had heard that some vampires had extra abilities, but the pack had hoped it was a myth like fangs or coffins, guess not.

_Bella is like a sister to me and you stomped on her heart like it was nothing. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't return the favor, bloodsucker?_

"Actually I can give you several. For one I didn't marry Tanya, two I have my memory back, and three it's because Bella is passed out on my bed as we speak. It's all because of her. She saved me as she has done since the moment I met her and when she comes to I'm going to ask her to marry me and I want you to be there when she does, Jacob, because I know she'll want you there. She loves you like a brother don't forget that after I tell you this," he said pausing for a moment to let the over flowing amount of information consume me. "She went and found a coven that changed her. She asked them to so that she could come back here and save me and neither of us could be happier."

Bella was a vampire… she was one of them. I listened hard for a heartbeat from the large mansion like house, but I heard nothing and something in me snapped, shattered like a million pieces, when I realized that he was telling the truth. I lunged for him sinking my teeth into his arm with a growl and ripping skin from flesh grinding my teeth into his marble skin. He didn't fight back or even give me the satisfaction of a scream. The smell made my nose burn, but I continued to pull and rip before I was tugged back from him by cold hard hands. A few of the Cullens held me back with snarls, but Edward took one look at them and shook his head.

"Let him go…I deserved it," he said standing back up and giving me a curt nod.

I growled, but they released me from their hold shocked as I was. I was just about to take him down again when I saw the most stunning creature with chin length silver blonde hair. I stared into her golden orbs and the whole world stopped moving, sound became mute, thoughts became jumbled and the only thing I could feel was an overwhelming tug on my heart.

_Holy shit, Jake, you have got to be kidding me? A vampire, really, of all the women in the entire world you imprint on a vampire?_

Seth's thoughts were lost as I gazed at her. She looked at me and gave me a smile before turning around and following the others into the house and I felt a small piece of me break away when she was out of sight. I hurt; I ached to be by her side again.

_I need your shorts, Seth, now! Mine ripped when I phased. I have to talk to her. I can't just let her walk away._

_Chill out. I'll give you them, but you're on your own. My mom and Leah will be pissed if I'm not home soon._

Seth pulled the shorts from the tie on his hind leg with his teeth and tossed them to me before taking off into the woods thinking about how much fun it would be to read minds. I phased pulling on the shorts and headed towards the door feeling my heart thump loud and wild in my chest with anticipation. The reason for why I initially came here no longer in the forefront of my thoughts. I had to see her again, talk to her, she was everything.

I knocked on the door and of course none other than Edward answered a look of both irritation and happiness on his face. Neither made much sense to me at that moment, but he ushered me in and I had a feeling this was the beginning of a long and crazy night.

**EPOV**

To say I was surprised by Jacob's situation was an understatement. I knew what imprinting was from his mind, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around a werewolf and a vampire, but here they were talking it up like two long lost lovers. I had never seen Irina so happy before, giggling and flirting, her thoughts all centered on Jacob's muscles, his sense of humor, and his overwhelmingly perfect smile. Well they say opposites attract and really how much more opposite can you get?

As I looked around the room I peered at each couple. Bella had brought this group together. My Bella was the reason for why each one of them was here. Demetri and Kate were the perfect match, each of them goofy yet thoughtful. Kate curled into him and her thoughts were abundantly clear even for someone without my gift. She had found the love that she had spent over the last century looking for, you could see it in her eyes.

I excused myself from the group and headed back up stairs. The only reason I even left Bella's side was for Jacob and now that he seemed comfortable I was anxious to get back to her. Besides the house was a buzz with thoughts and voices and for me it was getting to be a bit much. At least in my room I could block out some of it. I crawled in to bed with Bella wrapping my arms around her, pulling her snug up against me. It had been almost 3 days of this, not a word or movement from her.

Nuzzling my face into her hair, I breathed in her luscious strawberry scent. It was so much stronger now that she was no longer human. I'm just glad she still had a scent, which was a good sign. I hadn't told the family what had caused her shield to stop working. How do you explain that she basically was set on letting death have her? A small part of me was glad I had some time to maul it over in my vampire mind as she lay unconscious while the rest of me was aching to have her back with me. Still with all that time I had yet to come up with a solution.

Bella's ability far surpassed anything that the rest of us could ever do, but she was still my Bella and I didn't want her fighting alone. It felt wrong to think I would stand on the sidelines as my future wife took on vampire royalty. Wife, such a simple word made my cold, dead heart ache to beat again. My fingers ran through Bella's hair softly as my thoughts soared with possibilities, summers in Paris, endless days of making love, taking her to rediscover all the places I had been. I was consumed so much in my own thoughts that I barely even realized when one slipped in that I hadn't thought of. It wasn't just a thought though it felt more like a vision.

_Bella and I were on a far away island, sparkling in the sun her giggling as she chased after me through the water, splashing each other. She caught my arm and tackled me to the sand crawling on top of me and grinding her body into mine as she captured my lips with hers causing me to groan into her mouth. She leaned back and the sun beamed down on the angel above me making rainbows of light bounce off her skin and all I could do was stare at her in awe placing my hands on either side of her face._

" _My angel, you came for me," I whispered softly caressing her cheeks._

I came back from the vision feeling this deep pit in my stomach; something told me that was no ordinary vision. Peering down at Bella I noticed a light flutter beneath her eyelids and I gasped in surprise as her thoughts hit me full force, Bella was dreaming…

_We were outside of a club and she was shoved up against the wall legs wrapped tightly around me her spiked heels pressing against my back. I had on a leather jacket, dark jeans and a black t-shirt which Bella continued to pull at as she groaned._

" _Oh, Edward, touch me," she whimpered bucking herself against me._

" _Well aren't you demanding tonight, my Bella," I whispered against her neck growling in her ear as I ran my fingers over her body and underneath the tight leather black dress she had on hissing in pleasure when I encountered nothing, but skin. "No panties…such a bad girl."_

_I ran my fingers between her folds and her head flew back against the brick wall causing bits of brick to fall to the ground. I shoved two fingers in her with no mercy rubbing her clit with my thumb as I nibbled at her neck and earlobe Bella's moans getting louder._

" _Is that what you wanted, love? Do you like my fingers in your wet pussy?" I said softly against her skin and she began tugging on my hair whimpering in bliss._

" _Yes! Edward, oh god, ugh…"_

_I twisted my fingers in her soaking wet center thrusting deep as I pulled the top of her dress down with my teeth to reveal one of her succulent breasts. I attached my mouth to her nipple sucking and flicking over the taut pebble with my tongue. Her hands pulled tighter on my hair as she bucked into me pushing my fingers further into her and her breasts into my face causing me to growl at her ferociously. The vibrations made Bella's walls start to spasm as I released her nipple grinning with power._

" _Are you going to come for me, my naughty little girl?" I teased pressing against her clit hard with my thumb as I pumped into her faster and deeper._

" _Fuck, Edward!" She screamed as she came undone leaking her juices all over my hand._

" _Good girl," I replied moving my fingers in her a little and allowing her to come down from her high with a massive smile of satisfaction on my face before licking my fingers clean and causing her to groan._

" _Again, my Bella?" I asked taunting her and she gave me a wicked smile as I threw her over my shoulder and ran to the car tossing her in the back seat._

My cock was unbelievably hard as I stared down at Bella still not moving just her eyelids fluttering gently. I tried to make it stop throbbing even imagining Emmett naked didn't do the trick. I wanted so bad to taste her, to feel her around me, to live out every single one of her fantasies. Wait… If I can see her thoughts that means her shield is up. Plus she's dreaming so maybe she's finally coming out of it. I wonder if I could wake her up. I suppose it's worth a shot. I felt a massive grin on my face as I pulled off my clothes. This should be fun.

**BPOV**

The darkness before was horrible and even though it was different this time it still sucked. I had a theory that it was because last time I had caused the black out, this time however it had been merely out of anger. So I found myself once again in the darkness, but with my own rope tied tightly around me effectively, I think, locking me inside my own mind.

I wiggled and pushed myself against the rope for a while in an attempt to free myself, but it didn't seem to be working, the rope didn't even budge. Eventually I stopped trying hoping that maybe it was like quick sand. I had read once that when you're stuck in quick sand the harder you struggle the more you sink. It was quiet and after who knows how long I started to get bored. I missed Edward and I seriously wanted to kick myself for arguing with him and losing my temper. Stupid new born emotions!

Emotions! That's it, maybe if I can emit a strong enough emotion I could lift my shield and get out of this. Demetri said my powers works best when I'm angry right? What gets me the angriest…Tanya. Who knew one name could make me feel so much hate? It didn't even matter that the bitch was dead even thinking her name made me want to scream. The darkness took on a tint of red as my anger bubbled over. I could picture her in front of me that strawberry blonde hair of hers taunting me making me grind my teeth together and growl with anger. I thrashed about snarling and screaming and the rope that had been so strictly bound to me flew out and disappeared into the darkness freeing me, but before I had time to hold it there a vision flashed before me, one of me and Edward on a beach.

_He looked radiant in the sunlight sparkling with that crocked smile on his face laughing as he ran through the surf. I chased after him while we splashed each other with water before tackling him to the sand with all my force. I straddled him pinning him to the ground and grinding my body against his while I kissed him passionately causing him to groan. After a moment I leaned back and he captured my face between his hands._

" _My angel, you came for me," he whispered gently caressing my cheeks with his fingers._

Then suddenly the rope snapped back around me entangling me in its hold again. SON OF A BITCH! Come on, I didn't even get to watch me fuck him, damn it! My arousal started growing and I groaned in desperation struggling in my ties wanting so much to just touch him, to have him touch me. I let out a soft whimper before my imagination started to wonder, bringing about a fantasy I had been playing out since that first day at school, leather jacket, dark jeans, black shirt, boots.

_Edward and I were in a club dancing, grinding against each other as the music played, and practically having sex on the dance floor. His hands were everywhere, the small of my back, my breasts, and my hips getting so close to where I wanted him, but just not close enough._

I was shocked when the rope began to loosen around me, but the moment I stopped the fantasy it would tighten back so I kept going imagining him dragging me outside and slamming my back against the brick wall in an alley just outside the club. A loud moan left me as the rope flew out and I held it there so it wouldn't be completely gone like before, but kept the fantasy going wanting to make sure it held and wanting to finish it. His fingers inside of me brought me to release and than he threw me over his shoulder and ran to the car tossing me into the backseat of the Volvo. He pulled off my dress delving his face into my center with a growl and it felt so real like it was actually happening.

"That's it, Bella, come back to me," Edward said, but it wasn't the Edward in my fantasy his velvety voice sounded too close, too real.

My eyes flew open and Edward was just where I had been envisioning him lapping at my clit and growling ferociously against my skin. I couldn't take it, it was all too much, finally being back with him, having his mouth on me, and his tongue on me finishing the fantasy I had been playing in my head. I came hard and fast as he swirled his tongue gripping onto his hair and screaming his name.

"Edward!"

He licked me clean savoring every last drop of me before climbing up beside me and pulling the blanket over us with a massive grin

"Welcome back, love," he said and then he grabbed my hair and pulled my face to his kissing me passionately and rough as the door flew open revealing 14 vampires…and one werewolf. What the fuck?


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**BPOV**

I clung the blanket to my body and I would have been beat red if I was still human. Edward had his arms wrapped around me protectively and everyone started asking questions. There was way too much commotion it the room. So much so that I could barely even hear my own thoughts let alone be able to make out one person's question from another.

"Everybody shut up!" I shouted and everyone immediately went still and silent. "Thank you."

As soon as I shut my mouth two things hit me. One was the unmistakable sound of a beating heart circulating thick succulent blood and the second was the most vile wet dog stench I had ever smelled. The scent of damp fur filled my overly sensitive nostrils deterring me from the steady heart beat in the room and I found that I had no desire what so ever to taste the disgusting flavor accompanying the foul smell. Turning my head I found the cause of the scent and of course it was Jake. Edward always told me werewolf had a distinct odor.

"You reek horribly like wet dog." I stated trying not to plug my nose and offend him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Gee, thanks, Bells, love you too," Jake replied sarcastically and everyone laughed. "Well, I came to beat some sense into Edward for forgetting about you and I happened to run in to Irina."

He peered over at Irina pulling her to his side and kissing her forehead as she let out a soft giggle. Huh? A werewolf and a vampire together, like romantically, seriously? Can vampires hallucinate? Because I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone here. I breathed in again and the smell hit me making my nostrils itch, it has to be absolutely unbearable for Irina.

"Um, that's great?" I said phrasing my response as more of a question. "But what about the smell doesn't it bother you guys?"

"It _is_ great and we don't actually smell bad to each other, how strange is that? She smells like fresh spring rain. Not sickeningly sweet at all," he stated breathing in her hair deeply before looking at me again and plugging his nose. "You however smell like you doused yourself in strawberry perfume."

I picked up the pillow from behind my back and threw it at him full force. It burst in to feathers and we all laughed as Jake spit a few out of his mouth. Jake took it all in good fun though joining the others in laughing once he had cleared his airway of the feathers.

"You vampires better watch out or I'll go Teen Wolf on your asses," he stated letting out a cute puppy bark and the laughter increased. Lucky none of us had to breathe or we surely would have passed out from lack of oxygen.

After a while the laughter finally ceased and it seemed the more I breathed the more used to the werewolf smell I became. It wasn't a nice smell in any way, but at least it wasn't making me want to rip off my own nose anymore. I got the chance to look around the room. Every last person was smiling and not those fake smiles that you use when you're merely tolerating the company you currently are keeping, but huge happy grins that made their eyes sparkle. Within a second of actually looking at the crowd in front of me something caught my eye. Demetri was holding hands with Kate, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.

"So, Demetri, I see you made a friend as well," I commented giving him a bright smile and he nodded his head.

"She's electrifying," he snickered and Kate gave him a playful slap as she giggled and shook her head.

"You're such a doofus," she stated and he pouted his lips puffing out his bottom lip like a child. "But you're my doofus."

His face lit up in a grin and he gave her a peck on the cheek making her face light up as well. It made me so happy that Demetri had found someone here. I'm so glad I got him away from the Volturi, he seemed so much happier. His eyes were starting to lighten up a bit from his change in diet and soon he wouldn't look anything like the man I had once found trapped in his own skin. I could see small specks of gold mixed in with the bright red now. It made me wonder how much I had actually missed so I turned to Edward to ask him.

"How long…," I said trailing off when my eyes locked on to something that literally made my mind go blank.

Edward was there kneeling on the ground at the side of the bed in nothing, but his silk black boxers, eyes wide and a grin from ear to ear holding a small black box. He took my hand and stared up at me with those sparkling liquid gold eyes and I swear I could see everything, I could see the world in his eyes, miles upon endless miles of Edward.

"I couldn't wait another minute...," he said rubbing my hand with a smile. "My sweet Bella, I was a shell of a person before I found you, traveling this vast world with no one, but my family for company. Even with them my world came in shades of gray, no vibrancy or real uninhibited happiness. Everything was colorless and I was the epitome of empty. The moment I met you was when I truly started living. You're infectious laughter, overwhelming beauty, stubborn attitude and intoxicating scent has brought color to my life and I can't honestly tell you how I ever survived without it… I want you to be my wife, to provide me with an eternity of color and make me the happiest creature to ever walk the Earth… Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?"

He opened the box revealing the most stunning ring I had ever seen. A heart shaped diamond surrounded by topaz gems and set in a gold band, simple yet extraordinary. My eyes tickled with tears that I couldn't shed, my mouth dropped open wide as my head gave a nod on its own accord.

"Yes," I chocked out and I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but Edward's smile grew even wider as he pulled out the ring and slid it onto my left hand.

My need to kiss him took over my common sense and I dropped the blanket I had been holding extending my arms around his neck while I attacked his lips with mine. Thankfully, Edward was quick to think and wrapped the blanket around me covering my body as he kissed me back smiling against my lips the entire time. I heard Emmett, Demetri, and Jake howl in the background followed by three slaps as I pulled away from Edward in embarrassment.

I rushed to the closet with the blanket wrapped tightly around me. I had never been happier about my vampire speed because I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt in 10 seconds flat, running out of the closet to pounce on Edward only to be stopped by a certain black haired pixie. She captured me in a hug bouncing up and down with excitement as I heard her ramble on about dresses, shoes, tiaras and flowers. Eventually Alice released me and I was handed off one by one to everyone in the room congratulations being thrown around.

It was noisy in the room as Edward and I embraced our friends and family. With all the laughing and talking it was a miracle we all even heard it, but everyone went dead silent the moment a small twig outside broke in half under the pressure of someone's foot. We all rushed to the window. The sun was just coming up and even without vampire vision you could have clearly seen five angry tan men and one very distraught tan boy.

**JPOV**

"I'll deal with this," I informed everyone giving Irina a kiss before bounding down the stairs and out the front door.

Sam did not look pleased and I knew why. It seemed that it's one thing to work against a common threat with your immortal enemy, but I assumed by his glare that it's another thing entirely to fall in love with them. I had a feeling this would happen. Sam of course hated vampires because of how he was raised, but he hated the Cullens more specifically for what had happened to him.

Before the Cullens moved to town he was just a regular man happily engaged to a woman that he was madly in love with. Then they moved in and he found himself not only a werewolf, but imprinting on his fiancé's cousin, causing the end of a relationship and the beginning of a life as Alpha to a pack of werewolves. He took his new role very seriously instilling in all of us his hatred for our immortal enemies and drawing a very heavy line between us and the Cullens.

"Hey Sam, guys, what's up?" I asked and I was thrilled that my voice didn't come out shaky as I had expected it to.

I chanced a look at the others. All of the wolves, except Seth, flanked Sam ready to pounce at the first sign of attack from me, the Cullens or their friends that now stood behind me on the front porch. They were just as brain washed as I had been in the beginning, filled with hate and prejudice, but seeing how Bella fell in love; meeting Irina, it had changed everything.

"This is not a social call, Jacob," Sam hissed, he was already in Alpha mode. "You're to come with us. I have spoken with the Elders and we have chosen to bypass you're indiscretion last night as teenage hormones, but you are no longer to have any contact of any kind with the Cullens or their visitors under Alpha command. Do you understand?"

They all turned to walk away expecting me to dawdle behind like some obedient pup. Alpha commands are werewolf kryptonite there's really nothing you can do to fight it, but for some reason I didn't feel that pull to follow that I once had. It disgusted me that Sam was using his prejudice against the Cullens to cloud his judgment. It was wrong to take a werewolf from their imprint and he knew it.

A true friend and Alpha would never do anything so cruel, but he was never supposed to be Alpha and he damn sure was never a friend. I knew that I had denied my heritage by stepping down and allowing Sam to control the pack and seeing what he did with that power at the moment made me want to vomit. It was about time that I put my foot down.

"I understand that you're an asshole," I said prompting Sam and the others to turn around and face me once again with a look of shock on their faces. "Oh, are you surprised that I didn't bend at your will like you expected? Or did you forget that it was my stepping down that allowed you to be Alpha in the first place?"

I heard a familiar gasp from behind me, Bella, but didn't turn around to acknowledge it. I was focused on Sam and his lackeys while at the same time trying to keep the urge to phase and rip them to shreds at bay. I had no clue what I was going to do now, but I knew for sure that there was no way in hell that I was leaving Irina.

"There is only one Alpha, Jacob Black. You had the opportunity to take lead and you denied it so you will do as I say or choose to be a lone Alpha and suffer the consequences," Sam growled and the others growled in approval, all except Seth who seemed torn.

I had heard stories of when there were more tribes like ours. If two packs led by different Alphas inhabited the same territory it would be a fight to the death for dominance. So if I decided to be my own Alpha it would be perfectly acceptable among the tribe to kill me for being a threat to their safety, but if I couldn't be my own person and be with Irina than life would be pointless.

"I would rather die for what I believe is right than live under your command," I growled, allowing the overwhelming urge to phase to takeover.

Growls and snarls ripped from my body as my bones morphed and skin gave way to fur. Sam and the others quickly phased as well and for the first time in four months I was alone in my mind, a lone Alpha, well that was until I heard one very tough young wolf.

_I got your back, Jake._

I found myself flanked by Seth facing five very pissed off wolves. Shit! What am I supposed to do now? Fuck! Than all of a sudden it wasn't just me and Seth any more, I was joined by 15 vampires hissing and snarling beside me and I seriously felt like I had one the fucking lottery. Sam and his lackeys took one look at the group and knew they were out numbered running into the woods with their tails between their legs and that's when I noticed their wasn't one voice in my mind, but two.

_Well, I'll be damned, looks like I don't have to deal with Sam after all. Never been a fan of Jacob, but I'd rather join his pack than my ex-fiancé's any day. Besides someone has to look after Seth might as well be his big sister._

Turning my head I caught sight of a small gray wolf with a cocky grin on its face. You're shitting me!

_Leah?!_

_Of course it's me who else would it be?_

I groaned and shook my head. Imprinted, left my pack, and now I'm stuck with Leah, could this week get any more eventful? I hope not.

_Well, I could always disconnect your arm from your body and use it for my own personal chew toy, Jakey Poo._

Both Edward and Seth laughed while everyone else stood by confused as I started smacking my head against the ground. I've never gotten along with Leah and now I'll have to live with being inside her head every time I phase? I wonder if I can find Sam and his pack so they can finish me off before I lose my mind.

"Would someone mind filling the rest of us in on what the hell is going on here?" Irina asked obviously irritated with her hands on the side of her hips and I looked over at Edward walking up to her side and nuzzling up against her. "He really is kind of adorable though. I always wanted a dog."

She started to pet my head and everyone began laughing. If she wanted to pet me I could give her something to pet. I wonder if it's too early for me to get a good stroking. Edward looked over at me shaking his head in mock disapproval.

_Well, why don't you stop reading my thoughts for two minutes and get us wolves some clothes, leech?_

"Or I could tell Irina what you're thinking, that would be pretty entertaining, _dog_ ," he ribbed before running inside, hopefully to get me something to wear, as Irina stared down at me.

"When you phase back you better tell me what the hell he's talking about, Jake, or I'll build you your own dog house to live in," Irina said and everyone laughed harder.

Damn it, stupid mind reading blood sucker!

"I heard that," Edward stated tossing me some clothes. "Hey Irina, did you know Jake here was getting his Jollies off thinking about other places that you can pet him?"

I felt a smack to the back of my head. Ow, that hurt like a bitch! I sent Edward an evil glare. I would have to plot my revenge later.

_You better watch your back, Edward Cullen!_

_I'd stop while you're behind, Jake._

_Shut up, Leah!_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**LPOV (Leah)**

We all were in the living room of the Cullen mansion now, 15 vampires and three werewolves. Introductions had already been done, but I was still having a hard time remembering everyone's name. Mrs. Cullen had made Seth, Jake and I some muffins and I found myself devouring them as quick as she could make them, my appetite was just insatiable since I started phasing. Jake talked as Seth and I ate explaining who I was and my relationship with my ex, Sam…I can't say I hated him for falling out of love with me. It wasn't his fault necessarily, but I still hated talking about it or even thinking about it for that matter.

I really wanted the conversation to be over with already. If I had to listen to Jake talk about my perfect cousin, Emily, or Sam anymore I was going to punch him in the face. He finally finished and I let out a sigh of relief, but it seems that Bella girl couldn't drop the subject.

"So Leah is Seth's sister and Sam's ex-fiancé?" Bella asked wanting confirmation on what Jacob had told them.

I thought vampires were supposed to be smart. Is she completely oblivious to the look on my face when she says his name?

"Why don't I spell it out for you Ms. Sparkly? Y-E-S," I stated as I grabbed another one of Mrs. Cullen's home made muffins out of the basket on the coffee table. "By the way these are delicious, Mrs. Cullen."

The women with brunette hair and topaz eyes gave me a warm smile. These were the creatures I had heard were so vile and vicious? She looked like she jumped out of the pages of Good Housekeeping. I responded with a smile of my own as I took a bite of the muffin. Mm…chocolate chip! They had to be the most phenomenal muffins I have ever had. My mom had never been very good at cooking breakfast foods. Lasagna, pot roast, even my mom's enchiladas were good, but she couldn't cook an edible muffin to save her life.

"Enough about the muffins," Jake shouted ripping the muffin from my hands.

"Hey!" I whined giving him a glare.

"When did you start phasing and what the hell are you doing here?" Jake asked and I knew this had been coming. I took a deep breath and looked to Seth who seemed eager to hear the tale as well before staring down at my lap.

"I started phasing last week and have been really good at hiding, making sure to phase only when no one else was in wolf form. When I first phased I was more scared than I care to admit, but than all of Seth's late night runs made sense. I followed him a few nights ago in human form. I still didn't trust myself at the time with phasing and from the old legends I had realized that if I phased the others could hear my thoughts. For a werewolf he was still pretty slow so it wasn't hard to keep up. I just had to keep my distance. When I discovered who led the pack… Well, I decided to hide as long as I could. I hated the thought of belonging to Sam's pack," I replied my voice softening to almost a whisper on the last sentence, but I knew they would hear it.

"It's alright, dear, have a glass of milk," Mrs. Cullen said as she handed me the glass with another of those brilliant smiles of hers and my lips curved up into a small smile as I drank the milk calming my nerves.

Jake let out a big sigh rubbing his hands on his face. I knew that it was a toss up at the moment whether he would let me stay or not. I was ready to grovel if I had to although I would definitely prefer not to. A few moments had passed when the silence became uncomfortable.

"Just let me stay in your pack, Jake. I won't make any trouble for you, I promise," I stated not quite groveling, but showing him that I was dedicated.

"I don't like this, Seth is still very young and you just started phasing. How am I supposed to lead you two and protect myself and Irina from Sam's pack?" Jake asked shaking his head.

"We have worse things to be concerned about than Sam's pack. All of the vampires are going to have to leave town. Bella can't have any contact with Charlie or other humans for the time being and we have the Volturi to worry about. I know you won't want Irina to leave without you so you will have to come with us along with anybody you decide to lead," the boy with the bronze hair announced as he squeezed Bella's shoulder.

"The answer is most definitely not then. I will not be responsible for taking you or Seth away from the tribe or your mother. She already lost her husband a few years ago, I won't have her scared about where her children are," Jake finally concluded.

"That's bull shit! I'm 18 years old, I can do whatever I damn well please," I shouted jumping up and slamming the glass on to the table as I felt my body begin to tremble. I held back the urge to phase, but my tears had a mind of their own dripping down my face in a steady stream. "I can't be apart of his pack. I would rather die than have to listen to his thoughts about how much he loves Emily… about how much he wants her to have his babies… Don't make me have to do that, Jake! Please!"

I hated crying in front of people. It made me feel so vulnerable. No one ever saw this side of me, the side that ached for Sam to come running back. I was disgusted with myself for wanting his affection and I hated letting others see how much his leaving made an impact on my life. My eyes closed as I tried to push the tears back and I felt a pair of cold stone arms wrap around me the sickeningly sweet scent of strawberries in my nose. I flinched and growled due to natural instinct as the room burst out in a series of growls and hisses. I opened my eyes to find Bella holding me; her arms wrapped tight around my shoulders as she pet my hair.

"Knock it off! She isn't going to hurt me, I just frightened her," Bella yelled and the growling and hissing stopped as I sobbed harder into her shoulder. "It's alright, Leah. If Jake doesn't want you in his pack you can come with us anyway. I won't make you go back to Sam."

"That's not your choice to make, Bells!" Jake shouted followed by a loud smack.

"Knock it off, Jake. If Leah wants to come with us she is an adult and she is more than welcome," Jake's imprint, Irina, stated and I finally gained control of my stupid girly emotions, stopping the tears.

"What about me?" Seth asked eagerly.

"NO!" Jake and I shouted at the same time as Bella released me.

I gave her a nod silently thanking her as I walked over to my little brother who was whining with the same pout that I had seen a thousand times.

"Mom needs you, buddy," I said with a smirk ruffling up his short black hair.

"What about Sam? Isn't Seth going to get in trouble?" Bella asked her voice full of concern.

"He wouldn't do anything to Seth, he's only a boy. Besides since he left the pack, Sam has no control over him so as long as he stays on reservation with his mom and doesn't provoke the pack he'll be fine. I'll call Billy and make sure that he watches out for him," Jake replied before turning his attention back on Seth. "Sorry, Seth, I really appreciate what you did for me and as soon as I get back I promise I'll let you be a part of my pack, but right now it's just too dangerous for you."

**BPOV**

Billy would be here shortly to escort Seth back to the reservation. Seth wasn't happy about it, but Jake finally convinced him to stay behind. Edward and Emmett would have to take me away from the house when he arrived which sucked. I wish I could be around humans like everyone else, but Demetri would have to go with me as well since he was new to the diet so it wasn't so bad. Everything in the house was packed up and ready to go. The Cullens had moving down to a science, a place for everything and everything in its place. Demetri had gotten my bag that we had shipped and I once again had all my important things with me not to mention an endless amount of clothes that Alice had purchased while I was blacked out.

The decision had been made that we would go to Alaska. Esme had purchased property right next to the Denali place; a huge lodge that used to be an old resort. She had been working on the property for some time now preparing it for when they would have to make their next move. She was in full on psycho mode now having the contractors finish up the bath rooms and kitchen so that they would be done by the time we arrived tomorrow. Edward told me that normally she would leave those rooms undone and just do them herself when they moved in, but since we had Leah and Jake with us they would need to be done before hand.

I heard a knock on the bedroom door and turned to find Edward standing in the doorway. My jaw dropped open as my mouth filled with venom practically dripping on the floor. He looked fucking fantastic emphasis on the word fucking. His hair was all messy as usual, his eyes a liquid gold from our hunt a little bit ago, black leather jacket, black t-shirt, dark jeans and black leather boots.

"Fuck," I squeaked and Edward let out a soft chuckle as he shut the door and flew with inhuman speed to stand in front of me.

"Is there a problem, my Bella?" he asked grabbing on to my ass yanking me firmly up against him, his erection twitching against my stomach, dark clouds engulfing the sky as rain started tapping against the glass wall.

"Ugh," I whimpered unable to even respond as he squeezed my ass in his strong grip nipping at the side of my neck and running his other hand down my front to cup my heated center.

His fingers dug right through the fabric of my jeans and panties, the scent of my arousal filling the air. Edward took a deep breath groaning as he began running his fingers along my folds avoiding where I wanted them most. The lightning I had expected started to flash making me feel like I was blinking in and out, my building need taking over my body.

"Edward," I moaned tilting my head back and tugging on his leather jacket panting.

I felt my back hit the door followed by a boom of thunder as Edward slid down on to his knees. He pulled my legs over his shoulders taking another deep breath with his mouth now inches away from my dripping wet pussy.

"You smell fucking wonderful," he said nipping on my jean covered thigh as he grabbed my shirt and bra in one handful above his head and ripped it off. "Maybe I should have a taste."

He stretched his tongue out and I whimpered pulling at my hair as he got closer and closer to my center taunting me with his slow pace. The rain really started to pour and finally his tongue made contact with my swollen clit. I let out a loud embarrassing moan, bucking myself into him and he wiggled his tongue on me growling against my skin while he licked at a torturous speed.

"Fuck, I missed your tongue," I panted running my fingers through his hair now as I wiggled from his teasing motions.

"Everyone can hear you. All those fantastic fucking noises you're making as I devour your delicious pussy," he growled giving slow long licks between words the unmistakable sound of hail pelting Earth in the background.

"I don't care… Shit!" I groaned. He sucked my clit into his mouth and nibbled on it before releasing it causing me to beg. "Don't stop…please don't stop!"

"Such a needy little bitch," he said with a smirk and then without warning he began moving his mouth with fever twirling and twisting, sucking and nibbling as my hands tugged on his hair my growls and booming thunder echoing in the air.

"HOLY FUCK! EDWARD! UGH! EDWARD!"

His growls made vibrations flow through me as he began rubbing my taut nipples between his fingers. My stomach tightened, my clit getting more and more sensitive with each movement of his tongue as I bucked wildly against him. My walls began to spasm and then just as I was about to release he pulled back, slamming me onto the floor causing a dent. Peering up at him I noticed the wide grin on his face as he stood and ripped his belt from around his jeans.

"Oops, did I stop? ...and you were going to come, my bad," He taunted unbuttoning the button on his jeans and pulling them off along with his boxers and boots. He pulled off his jacket and ripped his shirt down the middle before he began stroking his cock in his grasp as he stared at me. I gave him a nod, my juices leaking on to the carpet, my pussy throbbing with need as I licked my lips, hearing the distinct sound of a crack of lightning hitting the soft wet dirt. "Mm that mouth is sin. Crawl over to me, Bella, crawl over and then kneel before your master."

I groaned with overwhelming lust as I made my way over to him slowly on all fours stopping right in front of his absolutely gorgeous cock. I pulled myself to my knees feeling my arousal drip onto my jean covered thighs.

"Open," he said simply in that commanding tone and my jaw dropped open as I looked up at him with heavy lids of lust.

He held my hair in his hands as he slid his cock into my mouth letting it run over my tongue slowly as we both groaned in pleasure.

"Show me how bad you want to come, my naughty kitten," he groaned petting my hair.

I enclosed my lips around him humming when he hit the back of my throat. One of my hands flew up to cup his balls rolling them as the other gripped on to his thigh. He thrust in and out of my hot waiting mouth moaning and hissing every time I flicked my tongue over his tip the hail outside now turning to snow flakes that made a light noise as they hit the ground sticking together. His hands on my hair guided my mouth along his length as my tongue and hands began moving with desperation, my center starting to ache from the throbbing.

"Good girl, Mm… such a dirty bitch aren't you?" he asked and I gave a muffled yes as more of my juices leaked on to the carpet, his every tug on my hair, every word out of his mouth, making me hot with need. I rubbed my thighs together trying to get some much needed friction only to get a sharp tug on my hair ripping my mouth away from Edward's cock and a light smack to the face. "Knock that off right now… You don't come until I let you. Understand?"

The look in his eyes told me he was concerned that he took things too far, but it was just the opposite. I had never been so damn turned on in my entire life.

"Yes, Master," I answered not even thinking about the words as they left my lips and Edward smiled. I gave him a smirk licking my lips before he tugged on my hair again moving my mouth back towards him.

His thrusts started to become more urgent, my hands, lips, tongue, all moving in perfect synchronization as he growled. He was so close I could feel it and it only made me more and more desperate and needy. I whimpered against his cock begging in muffled cries for satisfaction. His hands yanked at my hair pulling my mouth away from his cock again as he groaned at the loss. Before I had the chance to speak he had me on all fours clawing at the carpet as he smacked my jean covered ass hard with his belt.

"Edward!" I screamed, the sound of strong winds picking up outside as he wrapped his belt around my thighs and shoved his cock into me with full force, pulling me to him using the belt. "FUCK!"

"That's my nasty girl!" He growled tugging on the belt as he continued to thrust into me while I thrashed wildly arching my back and making incoherent sounds. "Why don't you let everyone know who you belong to?"

"You, Master!" I purred as my stomach started to tighten and my walls began to spasm with my impending release.

"Did I tell you that you could come yet?" Edward cried pulling out of me and yanking the belt from around my thighs. He grabbed my jeans and underwear from the back and ripped them off my body as the snow swirled outside from the powerful wind. The belt came down hard on my ass causing a very light sting as I growled out in frustration. He grabbed a fist full of my hair turning my head so I could see him. "Answer me."

God damn! I'm surprised I didn't come right then, dominant Edward was the sexiest fucking thing I had ever seen.

"No, Master," I panted, my pussy swollen and soaking wet, aching to feel him inside of me again.

"Punishment is not pretty, my Bella. I suggest you don't do it again," he growled running his fingers along my folds as I wiggled with need. "This pussy is mine and you will come when I tell you to."

"Yes, Master!" I screamed fighting the urge to climax as he rammed himself into me again with his hand wrapped around my hair still.

He thrust faster now as the snow outside began to pile up, my head pulled back and the wonderful mixture of pain and pleasure made me pant and whimper, growl and scream. I could feel my stomach starting to tighten up again as I began to plead.

"Please, may I come, Master, please?"

Every thought became incoherent words of praise. Fuck, shit, best, ever, fuck, so hard, so big, so deep. Suddenly I heard thoughts that weren't mine the overwhelmingly loud thoughts of one person in particular over shadowing the rest.

_So fucking wet, god she's amazing, so fucking dirty and so fucking submissive! Perfect! Never with anyone else. Mine! Forever! Bella, fuck! Shit I'm not going to last._

"Now, Bella!" Edward shouted and the thoughts and spoken words all mixed together made the world explode in a flash of color, eye lids shut in heated passion, fingers clenched with awe-inspiring power as my walls clamped around him and we both released growling and panting as everything stopped, the wind, the snow, the thoughts. It was as if it all faded to nothing, sound and the ability of speech ceasing to exist in a truly uninhibited state of utter bliss. After a while I needed to tell him, needed him to hear my words.

"I fucking love you, Edward Cullen," I said peering over my shoulder as he captured my lips with his in a heated kiss and we collapsed to the floor.

"So much more than words, love," he whispered pulling me into his arms. I chanced a look out the window seeing the sun ducked behind some clouds and the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen. "Stunning,"

"Yeah, it's gorgeous," I replied and turned to see Edward not staring at the rainbow, but at me, running his hand through my hair.

**EPOV**

After we dressed we decided to head downstairs. As we descended the stairs the cat calls, howls, and applause started causing Bella to nuzzle her face into my neck as I chuckled.

"It's always the quiet ones! Who knew you had it in you, Jelly Belly?" Emmett said and the air made a whoosh sound as Rosalie planted a good smack to the back of his head.

"I knew," I whispered to Bella so low that only she could hear and she giggled.

"So, after Billy takes Seth we'll leave. We have a lot of us going so we're going to take all of our vehicles," Carlisle stated placing eight sets of keys on the table.

Bella let out a gasp when she recognized the truck keys and I gave her a smile. We had stolen it from Charlie's house while she had been blacked out and it was currently hidden in the garage. I was glad she was happy about it because I really didn't know how she would take it.

_My son imprinted on a vampire, ugh! Well, I guess if he's happy there's really nothing I can do about it. At least he is taking on his role as Alpha finally. Poor Charlie, he's been worried sick about Bella lately. I hope she's okay_

"Billy is driving down the main road, he should be here in five minutes," I announced as I gave Demetri, Emmett, and Bella a nod. "It's time for the four of us to go for a run."

We all said our goodbyes to Seth and took off into the back yard deciding on a race to the meadow, winner gets first pick of car to drive to Alaska. In all reality it didn't matter who won the point was really to get Bella and Demetri far away from the house so they couldn't be tempted by Billy's scent, but that didn't mean I was going to let someone beat me. I was in the lead for a short time my feet hitting the ground at full speed, trees rushing by, and each leaf perfectly detailed. Bella was a foot behind me catching on me fast, her little feet hitting the ground as she darted around bushes. She looked absolutely adorable with her bottom lip between her teeth 100 percent dedicated to winning the race. Two feet behind her Demetri was gaining on the both of us a smile on his face. Followed by Emmett a foot behind Demetri clearly pissed off that he was losing.

I let out a laugh at how childish he looked with his face all scrunched up in an angry scowl. What a baby! I was so absorbed in my laughing that I neglected to see Bella reach and pass me.

"HEY!" I shouted out picking up speed a little so she was only a foot in front of me right as we neared the meadow. SHIT! NO! I can't lose. I tried to go faster, but it was too late Bella's foot hit the edge of the meadow and she started jumping up and down celebrating her victory. "Damn it!"

"You snooze you lose, Eddie baby. Maybe if you hadn't have been making goo-goo eyes at Emmett you would have won," she gloated sticking her tongue out and we all laughed at how silly she looked. "You're laughing now, Edward, but I don't think you'll be laughing when we're driving my truck to Alaska."

"What?" I shouted. She can't be serious! "No one else is driving my Austen Martin, love."

"It looks like someone is because we'll be in my beat up old Chevy!" She stated and I groaned as both Demetri and Emmett laughed.

_HA… Sorry, Eddie! She won fair and square. Jelly Belly rocks!_

"That's fucked up, Bella," Demetri said giving her a high five. "I like it!"

_I wonder what car Kate and I will take._

We started walking back to the house at human speed allowing Billy the chance to leave as I sulked trying to figure out who was going to drive my car.

"Cheer up, my Edward. It was a joke. Jake is taking the truck. You really think I would let anyone else drive your baby?" She declared giving me a wink and I wrapped my arm around her.

"No, I think I'll let Jake drive the Austen Martin. It will take forever to get the smell out, but I know how much he loves cars. Besides I have my baby right here," I replied and Bella's smile lit up her whole face as she latched her arms around me showering me with kisses.

_Again? It's been like 30 minutes. These two hump like bunnies._

I laughed out loud at Demetri's thought and pretty soon we were all telling jokes as we reached the edge of the property. Billy was gone so we headed inside. His scent still lingered in the air and I felt Bella go a little tense in my arms swallowing venom in her mouth repeatedly.

"It's alright, love, he's gone. There are no humans here anymore," I soothed rubbing her shoulder with my hand and her body eased a little. I picked up the keys to the Austen Martin on the table and tossed them to Jake. "You wreck my car, Black, and I'll have you put in a Kennel."

Everyone broke out into a fit of laughter, but Jake's smile was undeniable.

_Thanks, Cullen._

"No way!" I shouted looking out the window as Bella gave me a confused look. I gave her a smile turning back to everyone. "Jacob Black thanked me and didn't call me a leech or a bloodsucker so I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't some sort of comet coming down to Earth ready to destroy us all."

The laughter grew louder and Bella shook her head mocking me as I reached for the truck keys.

"Alright, so Jake and Irina are taking the Austen Martin, Bella and Edward are taking the Chevy, Rosalie and Emmett are taking the BMW, Alice and Jasper are taking the Porsche, Sammy and Derek are taking the Jeep, Demetri and Kate are taking the Volvo, Carmen and Eleazar are taking their Bentley and Esme and I are taking the Mercedes," Carlisle said tossing out the keys to everyone.

"So who am I riding with," Leah asked clearly hurt and confused.

_I can't believe they forgot me. Vampires suck!_

"Riding with? You're not riding with anyone," Jasper responded and gave us all a wink before tossing her the last set of keys. "Hope you know how to ride because you're riding my motorcycle!"

"SWEET!" Leah replied jumping up and down and giggling with excitement.

_Ok it is official these vampires are awesome!_

We all piled into the packed cars started up the engines and peeled out of the driveway. The truck roared to life and I hit the gas making the engine groan at 60. This sucks! Only two days, one hour and 40 minutes to go, Edward.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**EPOV**

A small amount of light from the setting sun caught on Bella's engagement ring as she gazed upon it. She stared at it with awe admiring the beautiful diamond as I drove through Canada. Her lips turned up in a beautiful smile as she turned her hand back and forth in the small bit of light making her ring sparkle. I turned my concentration on the road knowing she hated when stared at her while I drive. After several minutes however I peered back over at her only to find her studying the ring with a furrowed brow, her lips turned down in a frown.

"What's the matter, love?" I asked her softly taking her hand in mine. "If you don't like it I can get you a new one."

"No, I love the ring, Edward, it's beautiful," she answered softly turning her head to the window.

"Then what's wrong?" I countered squeezing her hand to get her to look at me.

She continued to stare out the window in silence, her face a blank slate of emotions. I started rubbing her hand in mine massaging her fingers and stroking the back of her hand with my thumb. Finally I just couldn't take the silence anymore. Pulling the truck off to the side of the road I took both her hands in mine and stared hard into her eyes.

"Please tell me what's bothering you, beautiful," I pleaded hoping that she would open up to me. "If we're going to get married in the near future I need to know what it is that upsets you."

"Did you have sex with Tanya?" She asked blurting the question out like it was acid spilling off her tongue. I found myself more than a tad bit angry, not at her, but at myself. I had meant to tell her about that, but with everything that had been going on I hadn't had enough time to really discuss it with her. My slight pause caused her to rip her hands from mine and shake her head adamantly. "Forget it, I don't want to know."

She turned her attention back to the window her eyes glossed over with a sheen of venom. I was surprised that she had not lost control of her powers yet it made me glad that she was gaining some control over it. My hands automatically reached out for hers frantically trying to get her to look at me, but she continued to pull away not giving me time to explain my reaction to her question.

"Bella, stop!" I shouted clenching her hands in mine and gripping them tightly in my grasp as she averted her gaze to the front windshield avoiding eye contact. I could feel her hands shaking and I knew she would not be able to keep control much longer so I gave the answer to her question hating the fact that she wouldn't even look at me while I explained. "There's no need to be upset, my Bella. I have never made love with, had sex with, or fucked anyone, but you."

Her attention finally focused back on me, her shaking stopped and her face softened up a bit. I released her hands curling her hair back behind her ear as I captured her lips. It was a short kiss, chaste, but sweet and loving. I pulled back and rested my forehead on hers stroking her hair in my hand as I breathed in her invigorating strawberry scent, still feeling that electrical tug that I had experienced the very first time her skin had come in contact with mine.

"So you didn't have sex with her?" Bella asked sheepishly.

"No, silly girl, we barely even made it pass second base. It just didn't feel right," I replied leaning back so that I could gaze into her crimson eyes. Her lips turned back up into a gorgeous smile as I grazed her cheek with my fingers. "We should probably get going. The others will be worried."

She gave a nod and I turned the truck back on to the road pushing the gas pedal to the floor groaning at the lack of speed as Bella giggled. I didn't have to read her mind to know that she was laughing about my reaction to driving the truck. Evil girl, she would be the death of me. We caught up to the rest of the group, that had stopped to wait for us, as the sun set over the horizon. No one wanted to separate for the time being. It started to snow, small flurries of white that stuck to the pavement, making that very distinctive tiny clink sound as the frozen water droplets bonded together. The snow always sounded glorious, a unique sound that only our ears could hear. Bella closed her eyes and listened intently to the sound as she relaxed in an almost sleep like state.

I remembered very well the first time I had really listened to snow with vampire ears. It was in the middle of winter 1918 South Dakota.

_The snow was falling outside of our small one room home in the middle of no where. My newborn year was hard and I found myself hating the life I was doomed to; I missed my parents, I missed my humanity. The clinking sound of snow falling outside brought me to the window. As the frozen water drops bonded to each other they created a distinct melody of music, each note different from the last, a mesmerizing string of tones._

" _It's enchanting isn't it?" Carlisle asked placing down a medical book he had been studying and walking over to the window. "You see, Edward, not everything about our existence is horrible. If god did not still love us, why would he let us hear such beautiful music?"_

_He left me to my thoughts then and I found myself lulled by the sound ignoring his statement and absorbing myself entirely in the snow's magical notes. It made me feel relaxed, comfortable…human._

After an hour or so she came out of it no longer distracted by the noises of the fallen snow. Bella turned to me a wide grin on her face as she slid across the bench resting her head on my shoulder. I placed my hand on her knee massaging her thigh as we drove down the long stretch of dark road. A tiny moan escaped Bella's lips and my cock sprung to life the moment the smell of her arousal hit the air. Her eyes gazed up at me a shy look on her face with a devious smile, my naughty little sex kitten.

I rubbed up her thigh unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. Her breathing became heavy another sexy moan escaping her lips as I slid my hand underneath her panties and on to her hot dripping wet center. I pushed a finger against her clit causing her breath to hitch and her ass to lift slightly off the bench seat as I smiled triumphantly, loving the reaction I got out of her.

She made a groaning noise when I pulled my hand out of her pants, but quieted when I gently maneuvered her so that she was flat on her back on the bench her ass up against my thigh. I yanked off her jeans and panties so that I could get a look at her delicious pussy. Oh fuck, she was sexy knees up in the air, legs spread wide, wiggling and panting with need as I pulled off her shirt and bra exposing her breasts to the air. I pinched one of her nipples between my thumb and index finger causing her to let out a large exhale of air.

"Touch your self for me, love," I whispered softly as I removed my hand from her body bringing it to the bulge of my pants, releasing my cock from its confines so I could grip it in my hand.

Bella's right hand moved down over her flat stomach and between her creamy thighs. She pressed her middle finger up against her clit as her other hand moved to massage her breasts. I began to stroke my cock rubbing my thumb over the tip as she ran her finger in circles over her clit, caressing her nipple before twisting it. Holy fuck! I pumped myself faster as she pinched her clit moaning in ecstasy while she played roughly with herself. I knew she liked it rough, I had figured that out from the glimpse in to her fantasy, but seeing her do that to her self almost made me come without even thinking about it. I wanted to be buried in that pussy, pinching those nipples, tugging on them with my teeth, smacking that sweet ass of hers as she growls.

"I have so many dirty plans for you, my Bella," I growled pulling over to the side of the road unable to stop myself. I pulled my hand from my cock smacking her thigh as her finger moved faster her panting becoming wild as she screamed my name.

"Edward!"

"Are you going to come for me? You better not stop until you soak your hand with those delicious juices. I would enjoy your punishment far too much," I hissed biting on her thigh and licking the wound as she bucked against her hand feverishly growling and panting as she shuttered with her climax running her fingers between her folds and coating them with her sweet flavor. I wanted to lick them clean, but I had a better idea. "Taste your self. Lick your fingers clean for me."

She brought her fingers to her lips with no hesitation running her tongue over them before sucking each one in to her mouth humming with pleasure. My cock twitched, aching as my balls tightened. I wanted to fuck her, no I needed to fuck her, but first…

"Well since you like to suck on everything, you can bring your pretty little mouth over here and suck on my cock," I growled grabbing her by the hair as she scurried to her knees.

"Yes, Master," she replied in that seductress voice of hers. Shit! What is she doing to me?

Her mouth opened wide as I lowered her head to my cock slipping it into her mouth with a groan. Her tongue flicked out over the tip causing me to moan out her name.

"Bella,"

She gave a muffled Mm of satisfaction as I worked her mouth over my cock running my other hand down her back so I could squeeze her ass. Each small whimper and moan vibrated my cock making it harder and harder to hold back. I smacked her ass hard pulling her hair as I ran her mouth repeatedly over my length. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I yanked her head away from my cock groaning with need.

"Come sit on my cock, Isabella," I commanded. Her eyebrow arched at the use of her full name, but it suited her in her current state. "When I am Master you shall be Isabella, now sit on my cock because I will not tell you again, Isabella."

Her eyes glazed over with heavy lust as she straddled me sliding over my cock as we both groaned in satisfaction. My lips found her nipple suckling it as I held her hips guiding her as she moved over me. Her head fell back, her back against the steering wheel as I thrust up in to her massaging her tits in my hands.

"Do you like riding my cock, Isabella?" I asked and she nodded. Not good enough, Bella. You have a lot to learn. I stopped my thrusts pinching her clit as she whimpered. I leaned forward grabbing one of her nipples between my teeth and giving it a rough, but not too rough tug causing her to hiss before releasing it. "A nod is not an answer. You will answer me verbally. Now, do you like riding my cock, Isabella?"

"Yes, Master," she panted peering down at me as her pussy throbbed with need.

I resisted the urge to let out a groan at how incredibly sexy it sounded when she called me that. If Bella wanted to play this way than I was all for it, I loved to dominate her body, but we would both need to look in to it more. I knew very little about BDSM, but from the look I could see in her eyes she fucking loved it.

Growling I leaned forward and began thrusting into her again guiding her as I licked her breasts flicking my tongue over her nipples. Her pussy started to spasm and I hoped to myself she remembered the rules or it was really going to suck to have to stop and punish her.

"Fuck, Master…Ugh May I come, Master?" She whimpered tugging on my hair as I gripped her ass matching her thrusts. Oh thank you, fuck!

"Yes, Isabella. Come for me…Oh, ugh!" I shouted moving faster as my balls clenched tighter and my cock stiffened. I squeezed her ass tight in my hands and we both threw our heads back screaming loud as we released.

"FUCK!"

Her lips came to mine and I kissed her feverishly spurting the last of my fluid in to her as we cooled down. My hands moved to her hair and hers to mine as we panted and regained composure only to catch the end of a thought that was not mine or Bella's.

_I need to wash my brain now._

Both Bella and I scurried to throw on our clothes as we caught sight of Leah through the windshield her hand covering her eyes.

"Sorry! They sent me to check on you. They thought maybe you had stopped to hunt," Leah said pulling a cell phone to her ear. "They're fine."

She revved up the engine on the bike again facing away from us and speeding off down the road as Bella buried her face in my shoulder and I laughed.

We pulled back on to the road catching up with the others a few miles away, Emmett, Demetri, and Jacob laughing hysterically when we arrived. Bella rolled down her window shooting a glare to each of them.

"Oh shut up! You're just jealous that your chicks wouldn't give you any," she said and they all went silent immediately. "That's what I thought. Now let's get this show on the road people, before we end up running in to some humans and I eat them for a midnight snack."

She rolled the window back up and we all drove off continuing on our road trip. The fuel gauge started to creep towards empty and we would need to pull over for gas soon so Bella would be forced to ride in the BMW for a few miles while I filled up. She wasn't happy about being around Rose, but Emmett was the strongest one out of all of us so it was the best option.

**BPOV**

I can't believe I have to ride with Rose. This is bull shit. I pulled open the door to her flashy red BMW climbing in the back seat with a huff. For the first several minutes it was eerily silent in the car until finally her big ass mouth opened spewing out random shit.

"Listen, Bella. I meant what I said at the cabin. I didn't know that Tanya was using Drake. I didn't even know he had an ability. I followed them in to the woods one day, they always went hunting together and it seemed suspicious. I heard them discussing Drake hypnotizing Edward again. Apparently he has the power to manipulate thought, make humans and vampires believe in illusions that aren't real and erase memories. I guess something went wrong when you showed up, because Edward no longer believed fully in the illusion," she claimed pausing briefly to gaze at me through the rear view mirror. "They turned everyone in to mindless zombies and it was wrong. It's not right to take away someone's ability to choose, to have free will. When I found out what Tanya was doing I ran to come find you."

"That's a load of shit, Rosalie! How in the hell did you remember me then, huh? Your telling me you had no clue that everyone else was being brainwashed when you clearly remembered who I was!" I shouted resisting the urge to kick the back of her seat.

"Um, Bella, I was being manipulated by Tanya, she uh has a power too, a pheromone manipulation power," She chocked out glancing over at Emmett.

"Are you fucking kidding me Rosie?" he shouted looking pretty pissed off. "You're telling me you cheated on me with a chick and didn't even let me watch! What the fuck?"

"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! Back up a minute. You're seriously saying that Tanya was sleeping with you and making you believe that… that she was in love with you or something?" I said shaking my head back and forth and trying to wrap my vampire brain around the situation.

"Yes, okay! I guess she likes to fuck around with girls, alright? Maybe she thought it was better that way than to brain wash me, use me as some sort of a pet. I don't know! I followed her in to the woods that day because I had a feeling that she was having sex with Drake too." She screamed slamming on the brakes and parking on the side of the road. "You know what her power is like Emmett she tested in on you when we all first met. There's no resisting you know that!"

I needed to get out of this car now. My vision was already starting to go slightly red and I was concerned about losing it. It's not that I didn't believe her. Rosalie wouldn't piss off Emmett like that if she was lying it's just I couldn't stand to talk about Tanya. I needed to get fresh air and give myself time to fully comprehend the situation. I had no intention of making up with Rosalie and becoming best friends overnight; even if she was being manipulated it still didn't explain why she's always been such a bitch to me.

"Let me out!" I demanded looking straight at Emmett. "Get me the fuck out of this car before I end up either one using my power or two punching her in the face!"

He threw open the door letting me out of the back seat and I went to the closest tree punching it hard so that it fell with a thud to the ground. Alright, deep breaths, Bella, just take some deep breaths. I inhaled a lung full of the night air only to be hit strong by the most delicious smelling thing I had ever smelled in my life. A car pulled off the road, a small Honda accord, and a man stepped out.

"Is everything okay? Do you guys need a jump or something?" He shouted through the falling snow and my senses went in to overdrive.

My nose filled with the intoxicating aroma of his blood, my ears caught the sound of his speeding heart and his rushing blood. His cheeks were flushed from the cold and I could see the blood underneath his cheeks, taste his sweet flavor on my tongue. It was nirvana, sweet bliss, and fuck I wanted it! I wanted it so bad and I honestly didn't give a fuck what I had to do to get it. I crouched ready to pounce on him when I felt a rock solid body tackle me to the ground, a voice screaming in my ear as hands tried to pin my arms to the ground.

"No, Bella. Stop breathing! Don't inhale it, Jelly Belly! You can do this! What if it was Charlie, Bella? What if he has kids?"

Fuzzy memories of Charlie came to mind, rocking me back and forth in the middle of the night as I cried over the loss of my parents woken up by another nightmare. Suddenly the urge to fight the massive body pinning me down was replaced by the urge to stop from breathing in the delicious scent of the human. I concentrated hard begging my nose to stop inhaling, willing my ears to stop hearing his blood pumping, pleading with my tongue to stop tasting and then an answer to my cries. As quickly as those three senses had been taken over they were gone. I tasted nothing, I heard nothing…I smelled nothing.

"Emmett! Emmett! What's wrong? I can't hear anything, I can't smell anything…I can't taste anything. What's going on?" I said, I think, since I couldn't hear I didn't even know if the words were coming out.

Emmett's face looked frightened as Rosalie forced the man back into his car. He drove away as I tried to make sense of what happened, taking deep breaths and feeling the air move through my lungs, but not being able to taste it or smell it. I shut my eyes searching in my mind for something that could have triggered the occurrence finding three large wooden doors closed and locked. I was unsure of what I should do, not knowing if it was safe to open the doors. After a few moments of arguing with myself I conjured up three keys unlocking the first door, grabbing on to the handle and opening it wide.

Immediately I smelled the damp grass, the trees, Rosalie's cinnamon scent, and Emmett's mint aroma. Quickly unlocking and opening the other two doors I was back to my normal self. Well, as normal as you can be when you're a vampire. Especially when you're one that absorbs other's powers, like Alec's, one power I neglected to realize I absorbed until now. Opening my eyes I found Emmett leaning over me no longer pinning me to the ground, but holding my head up staring at me with a concerned expression.

"Hey, Emmy Bear, I give you one guess to try and figure out who realized they picked up Alec Volturi's power," I said raising my hand and pointing a finger at myself with a laugh.

"You're such a dumb ass, Jelly Belly." Emmett said shaking his head while he laughed and dropped my head in to the snow. "Thank goodness Edward wasn't here he would have flipped out. At least I have style."

He stood up brushing the snow of his clothes as we both laughed, Rosalie stood a few feet away in silence. I hopped on to my feet brushing the snow off myself as well not even bothering to look her way.

"So, Em, how did you get the guy to leave?" I asked.

"Rose used the good old Cullen dazzle. She told him that you were a diabetic and that you just had low blood sugar. He drove off thinking that everything was happy dandy, but I still hope Eddie boy gets here soon so we can leave before we have another _incident_ ," Emmett replied and I recognized the double innuendo of the word.

"Yeah, I think I'm done with all the excitement tonight," I commented giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for holding me back."

"Anytime, that's what big brothers are for," he said, ruffling up my hair with his gigantic palm.

"Jesus, Bella, you couldn't have stayed in the damn car!" A velvet voice shouted as a truck door slammed and within a second his arms were wrapped around me, his lips moving across mine. Edward released my lips giving me a stern look. "You're lucky it wasn't me here or you would have been in a world of hurt, love."

I gave him a warm smile and he smiled back shaking his head.

"Silly girl, you're going to be the death of me," he whispered leading me back in to the truck and following the BMW as we drove off in to the night to catch up with the rest of the group.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**BPOV**

I found myself curious about the others in our now extremely large group as we came close to the property. I knew that everyone would be staying together at the new home until I gained better control over my powers, but I began wondering if everyone would be staying with us after the threat to our lives had pass and I was able to handle my emotions. It made me sad that anyone might leave and go off to live in pairs or separate groups. The lodge had more than enough space for everyone to live there permanently; after all it had been built originally as a ski resort.

As we pulled up to the house in Denali I took in the view of the lodge through the large windshield of my beat up Chevy. The cabin was truly stunning and I had a feeling that Esme had really out done herself. The structure had a somewhat modern aspect to it with stone making up the bottom portion of a large almost rounded area just to the right of the front door. It looked sort of like a castle tower and yet it fit in perfect with the rich wood paneling that covered the rest of the house. It was starting to get dark when we arrived and the workers had left on some of the inside lights making the house radiate with a light candle like ambiance. The large triangle like wooden entry way had a single hanging lamp beckoning us in with its warm glow. We exited the vehicles and everyone stared at the house the same way I was admiring Esme's brilliant design in silence with awe and wonder.

"Alright my children are you going to stand out here and stare at it all night or are you going to come inside so I can show you your rooms," Esme said in her soft motherly voice as she came up behind us.

I looked at the others and then at Esme who had a loving smile on her face. She did not play the role of mother well because she did not play at all. She was as much a mother as my mom had been treating each of us as if we were her own. I walked over to her wrapping my arms around her in an affectionate embrace. She hugged me tightly as her warmth engulfed me generating through my body like hot soup on a cold winter day. A soft purr emitted from me as she stroked my hair and held me close and soon I felt other arms wrapping around us some hot, most warm like ours. It was a furnace of energy and heat as we all gathered in front of our new home holding on to each other with fierce love and loyalty. Something happened to me at that moment, a dramatic change to my psyche. Family took on a whole new meaning; we were not tied together by genes, blood or even marriage, but by our overwhelming respect and love for each other.

Each one of us at one time or another had lost one or more important people in our lives, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children, but it was what we gained through finding each other that forged the bonds of us as a coven, as a family. My heart swelled with pride and compassion each cell in my body wanting to protect and cherish every last one of them for always. After several minutes in our family hug the others drifted away and finally I did as well pulling away from Esme who now wore the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears as she cleared her throat and headed down the stone walkway towards the front door unlocking and opening the large wooden double doors ushering us all in with a wave. Edward came up behind me latching his arms around me and whispering in my ear.

"You are amazing, my Bella. I swear you make me love you more with every passing minute. I can't wait to make you my wife, to have you as mine for all eternity, Mrs. Bella Cullen."

He kissed my neck at the base of my ear right where his permanent mark was left on my skin and I felt the hot embers of want begin to rage. It would have to wait and we both knew that, but it did not stop the reaction my body so automatically had to him.

"Mm, Bella Cullen. I love the sound of that, but you already have me, my Edward. I am yours and you are mine, but just like you I can't wait to make it official," I said softly turning my head to the side to admire his face.

He kissed me gently both of us making a quiet groan as it ended. Edward grabbed me by the hand dragging me towards the house with me now feeling both ecstatic about seeing it and desperate with need. As we walked through the front door my eyes scanned the area taking in every detail of the immaculate open space. There were no walls on the first floor to obstruct the view only a few large wooden pillars that made it look never ending. On the right side of the front door was a iron spiral stair case in the tower like space that I had seen out front and three doors behind it, one was the bathroom, another the laundry room and the third was Carlisle's study.

To the left of the front door was a sitting area with a huge roaring fire place and two huge red chairs in front of it atop what appeared to be a real bear skin rug covering the hardwood floor. A black baby grand piano took center stage in front of the bay window that faced the front of the house and both the bay window and the window to the left of the fireplace had red cushion lined benches so that others could sit and watch people play.

My eyes traveled to the back wall of the house which was made up of very large windows and a pair of French doors that opened to a wooden deck with the most spectacular view, miles upon miles of rolling hills of green covered in thick blankets of white. To the right of the French doors on the far right side of the first floor was a beautiful kitchen that made me wish that I could still eat human food just so I could spend hours on end in it cooking and baking. All the cabinets matched the wooden paneling and hard wood floors, the counter tops were brown granite and the appliances were all stainless steel. To the left of the French doors was the family room with a 72" flat screen television mounted to the side wall placed in front of three gigantic forest green cushioned couches. Finally separating the sitting room from the family room was a massive dining room table, the Cullen family meeting ground with place for 18 now.

I looked up peering at the high ceiling of the house and the wooden chandelier that dropped down. The top floor was a loft with iron railings covering a walkway that wrapped around the three sides of the house that didn't make up the front. A total of 18 doors were along the walkway and I gravitated towards the iron spiral staircase wanting to explore. Still holding on to Edward's hand I made my way up the stairs at human speed admiring the view until Esme called out to us and we paused.

"Edward, Bella, you're the first door on the back wall. Make sure to tell me if you want me to change anything in the morning."

I opened my mouth to tell her we would be right back down, but stopped when I felt Edward's breath on the back of my neck and his soft whisper in my ear.

"Go ahead and say goodnight, love. They all have plans for the evening and besides once I get you on our new bed I plan on worshiping your body all night."

"Goodnight, everyone," I squeaked out as I picked up the pace.

My hand latched around the iron door knob and I turned it pushing the door open with a light tap. The room was just coming into view when I felt a pair of strong arms sweep me up and my breath hitched. I turned my head to find a crocked smile on Edward's face as he carried me in to the room laying me gently on a large soft bed covered in a gold comforter. That's the only description I could obtain before my focus was completely diverted from the room. I watched him crawl on to the bed resting on his knees between my legs and hovering above me. He leaned forward and swept my hair from around my neck rubbing his hands along it as he captured my lips massaging his own delicately against them.

My insides flipped as he ran his other hand along the curves of my body feather light while he explored me, with Edward it was always like the first time every time, but this was something we hadn't done since I had been changed. We hadn't made love, it had all been animalistic passion sex and fucking which was wonderful, beautiful and truly fantastic, but this was, well this was bonding in its most pure form, soft caressing of skin tongues rolling against each other with gentle rolls of the hips. I reached my hands out to run my fingers through his hair as his hand reached the top of my pants proceeding to pull them off my body with slow precision.

The heat at his touch made my arousal pool between my legs and low moans escaped from my mouth in to his only to be returned by his own. My hands pulled at his shirt lightly and his lips detached from mine as he leaned back taking it off as I removed my own. I was so enraptured by his hand running along my thigh and his lips on my neck that I barely felt him unclasp and dispose of my bra. His hands wrapped around my breasts his fingers rubbing over my nipples as I moaned and whimpered in wonderful agony. He suckled on my neck like it was the greatest dessert he ever tasted groaning ever time I bucked my body in to his. My eyes started to roll back as his lips trailed down his tongue stretching out and dragging along my collarbone and towards my aching taut pebbles of flesh.

"Oh, Edward," I moaned softly when his lips came around my right nipple while the fingers on his left hand rolled the other.

His tongue twirled around my nipple as I wiggled beneath him wanting friction so bad that I could barely function. It was amazing, he was amazing. I never thought that love could be so incredibly mind numbing and yet bring every nerve in my body to life. Nothing in the world existed, but the two of us in this moment. His mouth moved slowly down my body leaving kisses along every inch of my belly until he came to the edge of my white cotton thong. He latched his fingers around the strings at the side pulling the panties off and tossing them to the floor as he inhaled a deep breath exhaling it against my heated dripping center.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you, my Bella?" Edward asked as his lips left delicate kisses from one side of my hip to the other. His hands pulled at his jeans and boxers tugging them off as his lips found purchase on my thighs with the same light kisses each one sending a shock straight to my heart and heat to my dripping center. I ached for him panting as I whispered into the night.

"You are everything to me, my Edward."

"And you are _everything_ , love. I wish I could write your name in the stars, so the rest of the universe would know that you are the center of it. Everything I am, everything I will ever be is because of you," he whispered back to me running his hands up my legs kneading my skin as he moved them towards my center.

"Edward," I whimpered trembling as his thumb came in contact with my throbbing nub rubbing softly as I clutched the sheets and panted in desperation. "Please, I need you inside of me…Ugh, please."

His mouth moved back up my body his hands moving to my hips and then to the tresses of my hair. His topaz eyes smoldered with unwavering devotion as he ran his fingers through my hair resting his weight on his forearms while his massive erection twitched grazing my core.

"I am yours and I will give you anything you desire, my Bella, always. You are everything," he declared and the words brushed across my lips like a soft breeze before he kissed me, deep and passionate, slow and powerful, running his hands through my hair and sliding into me filling me, completing me.

His thrusts were slow and deep making me whimper and claw on to his shoulders bringing his chest firmly against mine needing to feel his body as he consumed me. My senses were in overdrive, his sweet peppermint scent and taste making my mouth drip with venom that I continually swallowed back, his tender touch making me quiver, his hard throbbing erection rubbing my inner walls. My stomach coiled up tight and I fought to hold my release wanting to enjoy this feeling for just a few moments longer. His lips detached from mine and he sucked on his mark on my neck making me unable to stop the undeniable need for release.

"Edward!" I moaned loudly as my walls began to spasm clamping around him and causing his thrusts to become more urgent.

"Bella!" he groaned his thick erection becoming stiffer as I threw my head back in to the pillows clutching to Edward as the world blurred around me blinking in and out while his warm liquid flowed in to me.

Love isn't even a strong enough word for how I feel; this is heaven, pure soul consuming heaven.

"I couldn't agree more, my love," Edward said collapsing to the bed pulling me in to his arms.

"Couldn't agree more with what, Edward?" I asked slightly confused, but too caught up in euphoria to contemplate his sentence at the moment.

"You said that this is heaven and I definitely agree," he responded kissing my forehead gently with a smile and I quirked an eyebrow at him before grasping the meaning of his response with a gasp.

"I was thinking that, but I didn't say anything." I said slightly unnerved because I suddenly remembered that this was not the first, but the second time this had happened, well sort of. I hadn't really thought about that time that I had heard Edward's thoughts. After it happened I had been way too busy recovering from the mind blowing orgasm to even think straight.

"Shit! Are you alright? You're not going to pass out on me again are you?" he responded in a panicked voice.

"No, I'm fine. This has actually happened before. Well, not exactly you see, I heard your thoughts before," I said softly afraid of his reaction at just now discovering this news, but he was silent, completely silent. "I haven't really thought about it since it happened. In fact I pretty much forgot it happened. Please, don't be mad at me."

He jumped up out of bed throwing on his clothes and tossing me mine before giving me a kiss.

"I'm not mad, love, but we really have to tell everyone about this. We need to start training you to control your powers," he stated with a smile as he pulled on his pants. I dressed quickly as I took in the room it was beautiful.

The king size bed made of logs was against the back side of the house with a large window on each side. The wall on the left side of the room had cubbyholes for Edward's stereo, extensive music collection and journals. A huge fire place occupied the wall just opposite of the bed with a flat screen 40" television above the mantle that was gorgeous brown granite like the kitchen counter tops and fire place downstairs. On the right side of the room were two doors and a round like room in the far right hand corner just like the one out front. The two doors I concluded were most likely the bathroom and closet and I walked right past them to get a close look at what was in the adjoining round space.

I stepped in to the room as I took in the sight of the most glorious thing I had ever seen, well apart from Edward that is. The walls were nothing, but shelves, shelves upon shelves from floor to ceiling which went up almost 20', but that's not what made my heart tighten with overwhelming love and gratitude. They were full, full to the hilt with hundreds maybe even thousands of books. I ran my fingers over the binds holding my breath as I read the spines, all of the classics including every one of my favorites, romance novels, encyclopedias, history books, mysteries, horror, drama, and every genre you could possibly think of including vampire fiction which made me giggle. I was so enthralled with the sight before me that I didn't even notice Edward had walked in behind me until I heard him let out a soft chuckle.

"Esme and Carlisle thought it would be a wonderful way to welcome you into the family; they all know how much you love books. Alice bought most of them online, but several of the more rare copies were picked up by other members of the family. Each one of them wanted to give you something different," he stated walking over to me and handing me a small wooden jewelry box with a swan just about to take flight carved on the cover. It was beautiful. "They wanted you to have this, but I would suggest taking it downstairs before you open it. I know they will all want to be there when you do and I would hate to have them miss out on that part of the surprise. I called everyone downstairs for a meeting. They should be there already so we'll have to save my specific gift for later."

He reached for my hand and I grabbed it walking out of the door as I felt the love for my family, Edward and myself consuming me, devouring me. The fear quickly took hold because I knew right then that I would never survive losing them, any of them, and the thought made my very soul ache.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**BPOV**

When we arrived at the bottom of the stairs the entire group was waiting for us already seated at the Cullen family table. I walked towards it keeping Edward's hand firmly in my grasp and my jewelry box in the other. They all had wide smiles on their faces when they took in the sight of the wooden container. We sat down and I placed it on the table in front of me as everyone's eyes firmly followed my actions.

"What do you got, Izzy?" Sammy asked with a smile and I was pretty certain she already knew exactly what I had received from my new family.

"Not sure, haven't opened it yet," I replied with a smirk concluding that I would tease my family a little bit. "But why open it? It's such a beautiful box. I wouldn't want to ruin it somehow with all my newborn strength."

Edward grinned at me and squeezed my hand underneath the table as Alice started shaking with impatience. She was like a pixie on crack. I giggled as all eyes watched me reach for the box gingerly running my fingers across the swan carving on the cover and leaving Alice in constant suspense. Her lips started to practically twitch with excitement as I traced the pattern with my finger.

"Open the damn box!" Alice snapped unable to hold her elation back any longer. "PLEASE!"

Everyone laughed as Jasper rubbed Alice's shoulders calming her trembling. I reached forward to open the box as the front door swung up with a bang followed by a howling voice I had not been expecting.

"Here's Johnny!" Seth shouted from the doorway stomping in to the house. "So, what are you guys doing?"

Whatever was in the box would have to wait because the room immediately broke out in shouts from Jacob, Leah and Seth. It was ridiculous the amount of commotion three werewolves could make and in human form no less.

"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you, Seth? I told you to stay home with mom. Who the hell is going to watch her if you're here with us?" Leah yelled irritated and angry.

"I wanted to help and Billy will watch her. This is what I'm made for, Leah! I'm not the type of person to sit back while my friends and sister fight a battle that I can help them win, if you have a problem with that than tough shit!" Seth screamed back.

"Seth, go home! We need you to stay with your mom and Billy right now. This is far too dangerous for you. You're just a kid." Jacob declared.

"You don't want me here because you think I'm a kid? Well I have a News Flash for you, Jake; I haven't been a kid since the moment I first phased. I'm a werewolf and I'm designed to kill vampires. I know that I'm risking my life here, but what is the point in living if you don't take risks, if you don't fight for what is right? So, there's no way I'm leaving unless you order me away under Alpha command because this is where I want to be standing when the shit hits the fan, right in the middle of it all beside the best damn people I've ever had the privilege to meet," Seth announced as we all just stared at him with awe.

"Let him stay," I said without even thinking about it. Everyone peered over at me and I glanced around the room as they eyed me curiously clearly wondering why I would request such a thing. "He was born to be a werewolf, I mean for Pete sake he's got the body of at least an 18 year old and he has more strength than the world's greatest athlete. He's not naïve about the situation or confused, he knows the risk involved. If we fail with the Volturi they'll likely hunt the werewolves down any way. So why not let him stay and fight with us where we can protect him?"

"Fine, if Jake says that it's okay you can stay, but whatever we say goes, kid," Leah stated with a deep sigh. "Mom will kill me if you don't come back in one piece."

"So, what do you say, Jake? Are you going to let me stay or what?" Seth asked looking over at Jacob with a nervous expression.

"One wrong move and you're out of here, got it?" Jake replied giving Seth a stern glare.

Seth gave a nod in response and the tension in the room lessened as Jacob took his seat back at the table, Seth and Leah now standing behind him. I found myself more than a tad bit frightened at the fact that I just suggested that a 14 year old boy stay for a fight to the death against the Volturi. He may have an idea of what he's getting himself in to, but none of us are even positive about what is going to happen. Guess it's as good a time as any to find out.

"Alright, so when should we expect the Volturi?" I asked Demetri completely forgetting about the box on the table.

"Well, they expect you back at the end of March so we have about six weeks give or take a few days before they realize you're not arriving. Aro believes you are very powerful based on the strength of your ability prior to the change so he will most likely send the search parties out at full force. Without me it will take a few months longer than usual before their capable of tracking us down and with your shield and Sammy's shield protecting us I think it will probably be even longer before they are able to find us. The best I can give is a rough estimate, some time between August and the end of the year." Demetri stated worried as he caressed Kate's hand with his own.

"Okay, that gives us five and a half months for everyone to be fully trained and prepared. How many will they send?" Carlisle questioned with his voice flat and emotionless as my grip on Edward's hand underneath the table tightened.

"The search party consists of 100 vampires that scour the globe in groups of 20, each one being led by one of the elite guard members. Jane, Heidi, Felix, Afton and Corin will most likely lead the search parties while Renata and Alec will stay to guard the brotherhood." Demetri responded with a nervous tone to his voice. "20 may seem like a small group, but even for a group our size we'll have our work cut out for us. They may be sent only to retrieve Bella, but every last one of them is specifically trained for combat. If they are unable to get her to come willing and a fight breaks out it will be like rookie fighters taking on world champions."

"Fuck that! We'll slaughter those fuckers!" Emmett howled and everyone let out a small chuckle at his outburst.

The mood in the room shifted and everyone seemed a bit less tense. My hold on Edward's hand loosened as my lips turned up into a small smile as I gazed over at Emmett.

"Well if we do slaughter them, as Emmett so eloquently put it, what do we have to look forward to? Unless Aro and Caius have changed, which I highly doubt, they won't let us just destroy 20 of their most powerful guard and have that be the end of it," Carlisle stated.

"The search party has never failed to retrieve or kill their target so I honestly don't know," Demetri replied squeezing Kate's hand.

"Demetri, Jasper, Eleazar and I will start training first thing in the morning. We all have extensive experience in combat so we will work with each one of you until we are satisfied with your ability. We will prepare our selves for the worst and hope for the best," Carlisle announced with a deep sigh. "Unless there are any more questions you are all dismissed for the evening."

I stood to get up and everyone gave me a strange look while Alice practically vibrated in her chair. My gaze fell on the box on the table and I picked it up as her smile grew as wide as a Cheshire cat. I could have taken the opportunity to tease the family more, but I felt like now might be a good time to raise their spirits so I lifted the lid of the jewelry box and my eyes locked on something I had seen a thousand times before on the family surrounding me, the Cullen family crest. Sitting within the green velvet lined box was a locket stunning silver with the crest engraved on the cover. I placed it in my hands feeling my eyes blur with venom as I turned the locket noticing an inscription on the back.

_A person that is loved whole heartedly knows acceptance._

_A person that loves whole heartedly knows happiness._

_A group that whole heartedly loves, accepts, and joins in each other's happiness knows family._

_Isabella Marie Cullen_

I sucked in a breath as I ran my fingers over my name trembling with an overflow of emotions as I pried open the locket. Two pictures peered back at me one of my mother, father and myself on the left, the other of Edward. My past, my present and my future all combined in a gift that would forever be priceless. I gazed at the group around me grins on all their faces and I couldn't contain myself. Sobs broke from me as I latched my arms around each one of them one by one squeezing them with all my might and coming to a stop in front of Rosalie. I found myself wishing I could know what she was thinking, what she truly felt for me and no sooner than I had wished it than I knew.

A feeling of absolute love radiated off of her, sisterly affection and genuine happiness for me clouded by guilt and sorrow.

_I wish she could know how sorry I am, how glad I am that she's here. She'll never share a bond with me like she does with Alice. She deserves Edward, deserves this family. I don't deserve her respect or kindness, but I would give anything to have it, to get to know her like everyone else._

Suddenly I saw how cold and cruel I had been by keeping forgiveness from Rosalie. I had fought against it, denied it when she truly meant no wrong by her actions. Mistakes were made people were hurt, but could I really spend my existence shutting her out, bringing animosity into this family? Something in me told me to forgive and that was what I did. I pulled Rose in to a hug wrapping my arms around her and clinging on tight running my hands through her blonde locks as she crumbled to pieces mumbling words of apology. The family all looked on with smiles as they filed out of the room and upstairs to give us a few moments of peace. When her sobs stopped and I pulled away I gave her a smile handing her the locket as I spoke.

"Could you put it on for me, Rose?"

A smile broke out on her face as she took the locket from my hands. I turned and pulled my hair up while she slid the chain around latching it in place, cementing my status and our new found bond. She wasn't a sister or even quite a friend yet, but it was a start. Dropping my hair I turned back to face her and she gave me a wink before rushing up the stairs to her room as I did the same.

**EPOV**

There was a large significance to the moment we had all experienced downstairs and I'm not sure if everyone noticed it, but I sure did. My Bella had finally forgiven Rose and I was latching on to the idea myself, it was about time that I forgave her too. I lay back on the bed resting my hands behind my head and waiting for Bella. Through Rose's thoughts I saw Bella hand her the necklace before pulling her hair up. The beautiful slender curves of her neck became visible and I saw the small mark I had left behind her ear making my cock twitch to life. Oh dear god… I bit back a moan as the chain was placed against her milky white skin. Bella let her hair fall back down over the mark hiding it again. In less than a minute I recognized the soft pitter patter of Bella's delicate feet as she walked towards our room coming to a pause right outside the door.

It was agonizing torture how slow she turned the door knob inch by inch until the door was free of its hold and Bella opened it. She shut the door behind her and turned to me giving me the most glorious evil grin. She looked positively mouthwatering with the locket hanging loosely around her neck stopping a few inches above the crevice between her supple breasts. I groaned as my erection strained against my jeans, the venom pooling in my mouth. Her eyes scanned my form, her tongue running along her bottom lip before she started biting on it. The smell of her arousal hit me and I shot across the room swallowing back venom and slamming her in to the door, her legs automatically wrapping around me as her head fell back. I growled with need grinding myself in to her while running my hands along her sides to cup her ass as I attacked her neck licking and sucking with fervor.

"Do you feel what you do to me, my Bella?" I asked grinding harder against her as she whimpered my name her juices leaking through the material of her pants and on to mine.

"Ugh, I'm going to fuck your pussy until you scream my name, love. Until you're so fucking raw you can't take it anymore."

"Yes!" Bella screamed bucking herself in to me as I ripped off our clothes and tossed them to the floor.

I walked over to the bed tossing her down on her back and than pulling her legs so her pussy was at the edge. My right hand moved up her thigh as I leaned forward still standing on the side of the bed sucking on one of her nipples while she wiggled moaning and panting. When my hand finally reached her center I released her nipple from my mouth rubbing it with my thumb instead so I could talk. I started to run my fingers through her folds slowly whispering in to the dark, but still completely visible room.

"Are you wet from thinking about my cock, Bella? Imagining how fantastic it would feel to have me sliding in and out of your wet pussy."

She bucked in to my hand coating it in her juices as I teased her entrance ghosting my fingers around it.

"Or are you wet from thinking about my tongue gliding across your clit twirling and sucking, nibbling and licking," I stated before running my tongue along her stomach as I slid my thumb across her swollen nub twirling her nipple in my other hand.

"Oh god, Edward, please, ugh please!" She begged grinding herself in to my hand trying to obtain more friction that she was so desperate for.

"What is it you want, love, my cock or my tongue? Of course there are always my fingers," I growled inserting two fingers just inches in to her pussy twisting them around and curling them as she arched off the bed. "So what will it be, my cock, my tongue, or my fingers, kitten?"

"Ugh!" She groaned panting as she tried to push her pussy down on my fingers only for me to move them farther back.

"Well if you can't decide I suppose we'll just have to do all three," I stated with a smirk pushing my fingers all the way in to her and rubbing her clit with my thumb in fast constant circles.

Her hips bucked wildly, her hands pulling at the sheets as she began to tremble. I continued to pump in to her rubbing her clit as my fingers ran across her inner walls her groans and whimpers getting loud.

"Fuck, ugh. Yes...Edward, oh god, ugh! I'm… ugh, I'm…"

"Come for me. Come so I can clean you up, my Bella, Come so I can lick up all your delicious juices," I growled pumping in to her faster as her walls began to spasm clinging to my fingers like a vice grip. Her back arched of the bed her fingers ripping through the sheets as she climaxed letting out the most animalistic, erotic growl I have ever heard.

I fell to my knees lapping at her center as she rode the waves of her orgasm. Her strawberry juices filled my mouth and I continued to lick swallowing it all with a hum of pleasure. Soon her moans started up again as I delved my tongue in to her pussy stroking her folds and clit with my tongue sucking on her nub as I growled. She whimpered spreading her legs farther for me as I gripped her thighs in my hands pressing my face more in to her heat. My cock twitched with need throbbing and aching as her fingers clenched and clawed at the bed screams loud enough that I am sure everyone within a two mile radius could hear escaping her lips.

"Yeah, Oh fuck! Just like that, ugh! Shit!"

She began to shake and I gripped tighter on to her thighs knowing that she would explode soon wanting to make her come again. Her muscles tightened as I sucked on her clit flicking my tongue across it frantically as she howled out my name filling my mouth with her sweet essence.

"Edward!"

I licked her clean working fast as I began to stroke my cock feeling like I was damn near about to explode. Pulling myself to my feet I placed my cock at her entrance hearing her whimper and pant as I pressed myself in to her feeling her warm wet pussy wrap around me, taking me in. Bella dragged herself on to her forearms sitting up so her already tight walls gripped on to me even tighter.

"Jesus fuck, Bella. I fucking love your pussy. Oh god… ugh," I moaned thrusting deep and hard as she let out incoherent noises. I placed my thumb on her clit circling it as I pounded in to her not knowing how much longer I would be able to hold on. "Mine! You're going to fucking come for me. You're going to come on my cock and you're going to scream my fucking name."

My head flew back as she began to shutter and my stomach tightened in to coils both of us so close to coming that we couldn't do anything, but moan and growl. Her noises became erratic as I thrust in to her my cock stiffening with my coming release as she shouted out in her own.

"Edward!"

Her voice screaming my name echoed through the room sending vibrations all the way through my body as I thrust quick and uninhibited drilling her like a fucking beast and releasing within her as I growled her name.

"Bella!"

The room became silent as I fell to the bed sliding out of her while we both panted uncontrollably hearing Emmett's voice booming down the hall.

"Fuck Eddie! Give that pussy a god damn break! I'm trying to watch fucking CSI damn it! Can't hear shit over you two!"

The statement was quickly followed by a loud smack and Bella yelled out from the darkness beside me.

"Thanks Rose!"

We both smiled and laughed as we moved to lay the correct way on the bed. Bella turned towards me running her hand along my chest as we heard the distinct sound of another couple clearly quieter than us and turned on the television drowning out the noise.

"I love you so much more than words, my Bella," I whispered smoothing over her crazy hair.

"I love you too, my Edward," she whispered back and we watched television waiting for the morning light and for a whole new experience for the Cullen clan, training for war.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**BPOV**

I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I had the power to absorb other people's powers and yet I didn't even understand how to use it. What if I can't figure out how to use my ability before the Volturi come for me? I'll be putting myself as well as my family at risk. I'm supposed to be this all powerful vampire, but I honestly feel like plain old Bella Swan, well soon to be Cullen. A smile tugged at my lips at the thought.

"Edward, is it alright if I meet you downstairs in an hour with everyone?" I asked peering up at him. He gave me a curious look. "I just want to go talk to Sammy."

"No problem, love. The last door on the back wall is Derek and Sammy," he replied giving me a crocked smile as I got out of bed still naked from a few hours ago. His topaz eyes gazed over my body as he let out a groan. "You may want to hurry up and get out of here before I take advantage of you though."

I giggled as I rushed to the closet. Edward taking advantage of me was of course a ridiculous notion. I always wanted him just as bad as he wanted me, but making him wait sounded like it could be very interesting. I wonder how long he could hold out before he finally pounced on me. The closet was of course a huge walk in because Alice had insisted that every room have one. It didn't surprise me at all to find it packed tight with rows after rows of clothes. After locating a midnight blue lace bra and panty set in one of the built in dressers I found my way pass the dresses, skirts, and shorts where my gaze locked on a pair of sexy low rise jeans. When I pulled them on they fit like a second skin and it finally made sense why Alice always insists on buying designer jeans. I tugged on a simple white blouse and a pair of tennis shoes to complete the out fit as I walked in to the adjoining bathroom.

Holy crap! It was spectacular. There was of course a toilet that would never be used, but other than that the space screamed Cullen. The same brown granite in the kitchen made up the counter tops and the floor was a beautiful vibrant white tile with the Cullen family crest on it in a stunning gold. The Jacuzzi bathtub seemed big enough to fit five and the walk in shower had no door on it instead it was just a large alcove with several shower nozzles on both sides. I found my toiletry bag on the sink and grabbed my brush running it through my hair quickly before exiting the bathroom. I'm sure the expression on my face was one of awe because Edward let out a small chuckle as he watched me saunter across the room to the door. I peered over my shoulder and gave him a smile as I opened the door and stepped out of the room.

Sammy's room was indeed the final door on the back wall and lucky for me she and Derek weren't otherwise preoccupied so I dragged her away from him. We walked in to the woods a short distance from the house making small talk and catching up a bit before I couldn't stand to hold my feelings in any longer.

"The Volturi is coming for me and if we lose anybody in a fight it will be entirely my fault, Sammy. It will kill me if any one here dies. Vampire or werewolf, you're all family to me and it would crush me," I said softly feeling my still heart ache.

"That's not going to happen, Izzy," Sammy replied coming to a stop in a wide clearing covered in snow and staring hard at me. "You can not blame your self for something that hasn't happened yet and probably never will. We're a strong group and we have something the Volturi doesn't."

"I know, you guys have me, and I'll use every last ounce of my power to protect you all. I'm just afraid it won't be enough," I stated as my head drifted down to the ground. I felt tears that wouldn't fall prickle my eyes as Sammy reached for my hand and squeezed it hard before she spoke.

"I actually wasn't talking about the fact that we have you, Izzy. Although I guess that is a plus."

I lifted my head and noticed the bright smile on her face and I glared at her attempt to make me smile when I felt so crappy. Sammy let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head as she continued her lecture.

"Love, Izzy. That's what we have. The Volturi are formed through hate and power, but we have something so much stronger than that. Love is a power that surpasses any other ability we may have whether that be strength, speed, or our own personal capabilities. With the amount of love that this group holds it would take a lot more than one pitiful army of vicious vamps to destroy us. Don't let the fear consume you, Izzy. Open up your heart and learn to enjoy what you have."

I nodded my head in response and as Sammy's words sank in I started to feel a little better, but deep down the fear was eating at me. I was scared, so deathly scared.

"I'm still scared," I whispered and Sammy just gave a nod as if to say 'I know me too.'

She wrapped her arms around me squeezing me in a tight hug and kissing me on the forehead as she released me.

"So… got a wedding date picked yet?" She asked with a smile and I let out a laugh. Only Sammy could pull a complete 180 on me.

"No, not yet, but I want it to be soon. I think I'm going to have Alice plan it. I know how happy it would make her," I replied and as soon as the words left my lips we heard a loud squeal of glee coming from the direction of the Cullen house.

Sammy and I laughed hysterically making our way back towards the house hand in hand skipping like we did when we were little girls. I felt better, not as scared as I had been and even if everything wasn't perfect, it was damn close enough.

When we arrived back at the house everyone was gathered downstairs. Esme had pancakes cooking for the wolves and although the smell was horrible it gave me the feeling of home. I rushed to Edward curling in to his side on one of the big green couches as Demetri and Emmett played Mario Kart on the new television. He grinned at me giving me a squeeze and I could clearly tell he still very much wanted to have his way with me. I probably would have taken him upstairs if not for the psychotic pixie that jumped on me hugging the life out of me.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Alice murmured as she vibrated with joy. When she stopped crushing me in her grasp she reached for my hand and pulled me towards the dining room table. "We have so much to do, Bella, but first you have to pick a date and don't bother asking Edward because he doesn't care. He would marry you tomorrow if you let him."

"Alright, tomorrow it is then," I responded knowing the chaos it would ensue.

Honestly I would have married him the day he asked me, but with everything that had been going on we hadn't had the opportunity to really talk about it. Smiles lit up every face in the room at my announcement. Edward bolted up out of his seat and ran to me wrapping his arms around me so that his face was just inches away from mine.

"Please tell me you're serious, love," he stated in the most excited voice his eyes sparkling that beautiful honey gold, a glorious smile from ear to ear.

"Completely," I replied as he gazed at me with such love and devotion that I almost felt like my knees would buckle underneath me.

His lips found mine, his peppermint taste filling my mouth and when his tongue ran across my tongue it ignited the fire within me. The kiss was slow and passionate my fingers weaving in his hair as his hands roamed my back in electrifying circles. We were lost to the world in that moment, but quickly found our way back to reality when the clapping started.

We disentangled our selves and I caught sight of a blur that looked suspiciously like Alice darting across the room papers flying and frantic typing filling the air.

"Do you two want to skip out on the training today?" Carlisle asked.

I looked at Edward and he looked at me and no matter what heat was building in us we both knew how important training would be and almost in unison we replied.

"No."

"Alright, let's head outside and get started then," Carlisle replied motioning for everyone to follow him as he walked outside of the house. Alice was still on her laptop typing away feverishly and Carlisle gave her a stern look. She pouted, but reluctantly followed moping like a real teenager for a change.

We were scattered about the wide open field behind the house and paired off in two groups each one with a different leader. Derek, Sammy, Kate, Demetri, Jasper, Alice, Edward and I made up Eleazar's group while Esme, Carmen, Rosalie, Emmett, Kate, Irina, Jake, Leah and Seth made up Team Carlisle.

We went over basic fighting techniques like how to catch an enemy by surprise, what area of the body to strike first, and how to confuse someone by keeping your body constantly moving, but we quickly moved to ability training. Since our group was made up entirely of vampires with extra abilities Eleazar thought it would be best to focus heavily on exercising our mental control.

"I'm going to try an experiment. Edward, Bella step away from the group," Eleazar stated and both Edward and I walked a few feet away. "Now I know you have all of us under your mental shield right now, Bella, so what I want you to do is release just Edward out of your shield. It's going to be hard to leave your mate unprotected, but remember no one here is in any real danger."

I nodded giving Edward a smile before shutting my eyes and searching instinctively for the rope in my mind. I found the rope that extended out from me in Edward's direction and although it killed me to do it I severed the connection, missing his presence in my mind immediately, feeling an undeniable sting of loss.

I opened my eyes and the look on Edward's face was one of complete and total shock. His lips moved to talk, but nothing would come out. I felt terrified and my face must have shown it because Edward came over to me and rubbed my cheek in his hand giving me a smile.

"I'm fine, love. I guess I was a little surprised that I can't hear anybody," he said as he caressed my cheek lovingly.

"Oh…so you can't hear anyone?" I asked and he gave me a nod before letting me go and turning to Eleazar.

"Wonderful, that's exactly what I expected. Let's continue," Eleazar announced as he walked over to Kate's side whispering something in her ear low enough that no one else could hear. "Kate is going to use her ability to see if it works on Edward. If it does, he will receive a very low mild shock and that may alarm you, Bella, but I want you to resist the urge to shield him instead I want you to throw a physical shield around them both and hold it there allowing her to shock him for ten seconds."

"You want me to do what?" I exclaimed and my vision turned slightly pink. "There is no way in hell I'm doing that."

"Listen to me, Bella. In order to learn how to control your power you need to be able to get pass the emotional block you currently have. You have to fight your base instincts and learn to do what you have to do, not what your emotions tell you to do," Eleazar replied. "Emotions are a tricky thing, which I'm sure you will figure out once we start learning how to tame Jasper's ability, but this is what you must do. Sometimes we do things we don't like because it's what's best for us."

I looked over at Edward and he gave me a big smile.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I broke in to your room while you were sleeping the night we met and stole the shirt you found in my car?" Edward asked and my jaw dropped.

"I knew you lied!" I exclaimed and he let out a laugh. My vision went back to normal and I glared slightly at him. "That was one of my favorite shirts by the way."

He shrugged his shoulders and I nodded at Kate giving her permission to move towards Edward. I wasn't actually upset at him so it still killed me that Kate was about to shock my mate even if it was all in good fun. She placed her hand on his and Edward tensed up from the connection and scrunched his eyes closed in pain. My vision turned red and I wanted nothing more than to rip Kate's arm from her body or throw my physical shield out around Edward, but I fought the urge throwing my physical shield around both of them and shutting my eyes tightly counting to ten.

After the ten seconds was up I opened my eyes dropping the shield immediately. Kate had dropped Edward's hand and he was smiling at me, but my vision was still a deep shade of red. I tried to blink away the red tint of my eyes wanting so much to try and calm myself. I felt a wave of calm rush over me and my vision cleared. I gave a nod in Jasper's direction as I rushed to Edward's side throwing my mental shield around him. His arms encased me and I let out a deep sigh as he kissed my forehead murmuring an apology about the shirt.

"Don't worry about it," I replied placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I still want to try one more thing today if you're up for it, Bella. It is not going to be pleasant I'm afraid, but it is a very large step to getting a handle on your power," Eleazar stated and I swallowed down the lump in the back of my throat nodding my head in agreement even though I wanted nothing more than to say no. I let Edward's arms drop and stepped a few feet away as Eleazar whispered something to Jasper and Alice. "I'm going to have Jasper flood you with a wave of rage against Alice and I want you to do whatever it takes to calm yourself, use your physical shield, block off your senses, use telekinesis, or use Jane's power, whatever it takes to stop you from attacking Alice."

I opened my mouth to protest, but was cut off abruptly by Alice.

"Don't worry, Bella. It's just a test and you're not going to hurt anybody. My visions may be blurry, but I don't need a vision to tell me that you won't ever hurt me."

I took in a deep breath and nodded in Jasper's direction, wanting to get this done with as quickly as possible. I felt it immediately, a rage so intense that I wanted to rip off my own skin. In my hazy red vision my eyes locked on Alice and I snarled viciously. Instinctively I rushed her, but she was quick and darted out of my path. I felt my insides twist in disgust of myself, but the rage quickly overpowered that feeling. My body moved with lightning fast accuracy smacking in to Alice full force and pinning her to the ground beneath me as I let out a menacing growl.

In the back of my mind I could hear a small part of me screaming to stop, to let her go, but it was being stifled out by the overwhelming need to kill. She didn't fight back at all just laid there expecting me to stop. I was about to sink my teeth in to her neck and rip her head from her body when she smiled at me and the small part of me in the back of my mind fought its way forward. My eyes clenched shut, my teeth ground together and I felt my arms release my body flying back and slamming hard in to a tree as I let out an ear splitting cry. My eyes flew open and I screamed loud enough to wake the dead as I fell to the ground pounding at the Earth with my fists willing the rage away. The Earth shook as I smacked it mud and rocks flying up around me as my fists created a large crack in the ground. I could hear voices, but I couldn't make out any of the words. In a moment of clarity I threw up my shield stopping the rage and collapsing to the ground breathing the air in and out in a steady rhythm.

The words came clear and I heard people shouting my name. Lifting my head I saw Edward just outside my shield and I forced it to collapse. My vision cleared the red dropping away completely as he rushed to my side gathering me up in his arms and holding me tightly in his grasp. I latched my arms around him breathing in his peppermint scent in huge lung filled gasps as a feeling of pride washed over me.

That was the end of training for the day and I couldn't have been happier. Everyone congratulated me on a job well done and we all went to hunt. I took down four deer before I finally felt more like myself. Alice was ecstatic about me passing the test earlier and talked excitedly about the wedding. She was in such a great mood that she wasn't even disappointed when I told her that I wasn't picking any one for maid of honor. She seemed to understand that it would have been much too hard for me to choose between her and Sammy. We decided on a sunset wedding on the lawn and Alice rushed in to town as soon as we got back from hunting ranting about having less than 24 hours to pull together a wedding.

"Let's go take a bath, love," Edward whispered in my ear grabbing me by the hand and pulling me towards the stairs.

We washed each other in the bath both of us taking our time caressing each others skin and then we crawled in to bed. I clung on to him curling in to his side as he ran his hand along my back and we laid there all night, just basking in the love we shared for one another.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**EPOV**

So this is it, the first day of the rest of my life. I never thought I would be in this position. In 12 hours I'm going to be marrying the most exquisite woman of all time. I drank down the last few drops of the mountain lion satiating my thirst as I contemplated this day. A century of loneliness culminating to this glorious day, the day Bella becomes my wife… Mrs. Bella Cullen. I can hardly wait. The boys dragged me away from Bella about an hour ago. I didn't even get the chance to make love to her. Although I suppose that's what tonight is for, to make love to my wife. I felt my cock strain against my jeans at the thought and tried to shake it off by taking down a caribou.

"Jeez, Edward, you're sending off an awful lot of lust. Is there something you need to tell us?" Jasper asked with a smirk pointing from the limp caribou in my arms to me.

I shook my head at him as both he and Emmett got a good laugh at my expense. I got up wiping off the excess blood from my lips and then cleaned off my hand.

"So now that we hunted what the hell are we going to do for the next 12 hours?" I asked with a sigh.

Every time one of the guys gets married we do a different activity to commemorate the occasion. We've climbed Mount Everest and Rhapsody, the world's hardest traditional rock climb, gone sky diving, competed against each other in triathlons, high speed boat racing and of course Emmett's all time favorite, laser tag. It was a way for all of us to relieve some pent up energy and for the four of us to bond. Our small four person group was extended to eight today. Demetri, Derek, Jacob, and Seth all decided to join us on our activity of the day wanting to get away from all the frou-frou girly stuff. It's great to have some extra people around, but it would be a lot better if I knew what we're going to be doing. They're all blocking me with one thing or another; unfortunately the majority had chosen the most obvious method. I don't think my sanity could take many more images of sexual encounters. My three bits of salvation were Derek, Carlisle and Seth. Derek and Carlisle were too busy thinking and talking about different medical procedures. As for Seth, his thoughts were flipping between different training moves he learned yesterday.

"Patience, Eddie, you will see soon enough," Emmett said clasping his hand on my shoulder. "You want to go back to the jeep with me and get the stuff, Seth?"

A smile broke across Seth's face as he ran back toward where the jeep was parked. They arrived back in a few minutes eight paintball guns in hand. Well, at least it was something new. We each got a paintball gun and Emmett handed me the container of blue balls. Blue balls, just like the ones in my pants unfortunately. Emmett, always the comedian, let out a laugh when I narrowed my eyes at him. Damn stupid family outings.

"Alright so the game is capture the flag. Since you're the one getting married today you get first pick of who you want on Team Edward," Emmett declared handing me a blue flag.

I took a look at the group before me trying to determine which one's would make the best team mates as I heard their thoughts screaming pick me, pick me. Demetri was a tracker, but only able to track people not things. In his human life however he had been a hunter so it made sense that he would be good at discovering where the other team's flag was.

"Demetri," I said with a sly smile.

Emmett picked Jasper, Seth, and Jacob. Jacob had complained that he wanted to be captain, something about wanting a Team Jacob, so Emmett had challenged him to an arm wrestling competition. It was a pretty close match, but in the end Emmett won and got to be captain of Team Emmett. His main weapon was Jasper with all his strategy skills and empath ability. As for the rest of his team they were basically all brawn and no brain. My team was made up of logical thinkers. Demetri would track the red team's flag down and then guard our flag. Carlisle and Derek could use their vast knowledge to distract the red team leaving space open for me to rush in and capture the flag from their camp. I was the fastest runner so as long as Demetri could find the flag I would be good.

"Rules are simple. Your team flag has to be above ground and once you're shot with a paint ball you're out," Emmett announced loading his paintball with his red balls.

In a lightning fast move I aimed my gun at Emmett and took a shot. The blue paint smacked his chest spreading out as his mouth dropped open in surprise.

_Oh, you're going down Eddie boy._

"I was just checking to make sure it worked," I replied giving him a smile as my team took off north to put our flag in place. It seemed like we were going to have a fun day. Just 11 and a half hours left, Edward.

**BPOV**

I had never been gladder that I didn't need to sleep anymore because I surely would have killed Alice if I was still human. She came in to my room at five o'clock this morning ripping me one way as Edward was ripped the other. I gave him a quick kiss goodbye and she dragged me in to the bathroom stripping off my clothes and tossing me in to the stream of running water in the shower.

"Lather, rinse, repeat, Bella, If you can't do it right I'll do it for you. We have 13 hours to get you and this house ready for the wedding of the century and don't think for one second that I won't jump in to that shower with you and do it myself," Alice stated shoving body wash, shampoo and conditioner in my hands before rushing out the door in a blur.

"Jesus, good morning to you too, damn crazy pixie," I mumbled as I followed her frantic instructions. I scrubbed down my body at vampire speed and then washed my hair twice with the shampoo. I was just finishing rinsing out the conditioner when I was yanked from the shower and dried with a towel at a speed that would have caused some major burns had I been human.

My body was lifted off the floor and I found myself being carried down the hall to Alice's room wrapped in only a towel. She placed me in a bathroom a lot like mine and Edward's then disappeared in to an adjoining closet. In front of me was a vanity mirror with a counter covered in things that looked more like torture devices then beauty products.

"Alice! Could you slow down for two seconds? I'm getting married today and I would kind of like to have my sister to celebrate with," I yelled out as Alice emerged from the closet with two white garment bags in hand.

She hung the two bags on a hook right next to the vanity and spun me around in the chair with a big smile. Her arms wrapped around me as she squealed in delight. This has to be what she would be like if she could do drugs or inject caffeine directly into her system. She twirled the chair back around to face the mirror at a human pace and I was thankful that she finally seemed to be coming back down to Earth, I'll be it at a slow pace, but something is better than nothing.

She worked the blow dryer, curling irons and other tools with such grace making curls with painstaking perfection. Any time one wasn't perfect she would curse like a sailor as she fixed it. I discovered Carmen, Eleazar, Irina, Kate and Leah were decorating the backyard following strict instructions from Alice, who would disappear for a few minutes every half hour or so to dictate what needed to be fixed. I felt like I had been sitting there forever, which was actually more like three hours, when Sammy, Rose and Esme showed up while Alice was downstairs on one of her tyrants.

"Hey, Izzy, how's it going? Are you feeling nervous yet?" Sammy asked tucking a hair behind my ear as Alice's loud voice echoed through the house.

"What are you doing? Are you blind? It's crocked! Fix it!"

"Well I'm a little terrified that Alice is either going to keel over and die or kill me. Other than that I feel fine. Being with Edward has felt right since day one so there's no reason to feel nervous," I responded with a smile as Esme leaned in to give me a hug speaking softly.

"I'm so happy for you two."

"We brought you some breakfast, since we doubt Alice, the dictator, will let you hunt," Rose stated handing me a thermos when Esme released me. I removed the lid taking in a sniff of its contents, bear. "We would have gotten you mountain lion because we know it's your favorite, but Alice has us running around town like idiots."

I let out a laugh before drinking from the container. The blood was artificially warm which definitely did not taste as good as fresh, but it was better than cold blood any day. As it ran down my throat and soothed the constant itch I hummed in pleasure shutting my eyes and letting the thick liquid rejuvenate me. When the thermos was empty I pulled it away from my lips with a sigh.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Alice asked and my eyes shot open. Everyone's head was turned to the door where Alice stood looking disheveled and crazy. "I need you to go get the flowers before…"

Her voice trailed off and a smile broke across her face as her hand flew up to cover her lips.

"Oh, Bella," She cooed running over to me and latching her arms around me.

The others turned to look at me and their expressions all changed to ones of awe and shock.

"What? Do I have blood on my face or something?" I asked and they all let out a giggle as Alice turned me slowly in my chair to face the mirror.

My attention was immediately caught by the sight in front of me. Curls had fallen in front of my face that needed to be repaired and a dozen or so curlers still consumed half my hair, but none of that mattered or even fully registered. It was the twinkle of gold that had me mesmerized, molten liquid topaz to be exact. My hands came up to my face, venom blurring my vision slightly with unshed tears as I leaned forward taking in the sight of my golden irises. They were beautiful, the same overwhelming shade as the rest of my family.

"They look radiant on you. I really hope my visions come back soon. I'm so glad I didn't miss this," Alice stated running a hand through one of my curls.

"Well look at you, gorgeous golden eyes and a wedding all in one day. Emmett's right you really do make our lives interesting, Bella," Rose said with a smile and a wink.

"They're stunning, absolutely stunning, Izzy, they almost put your brown eyes to shame," Sammy chimed in.

"They look so lovely. Edward is going to be so surprised," Esme added before Alice shooed them away to go get flowers.

A husband, a whole new family, golden eyes, how did I get so lucky?

I leaned back and let Alice go back to work as I admired my new eyes. Time flew after that. Everyone came and went from the bathroom as hours upon hours passed. Finally five o'clock came and I damn near lost my cool when I heard the front door shut and the all too familiar sound of my future husband's foot steps.

"Don't you dare move, Isabella, or I will rip your head off. One hour left and then he's all yours," Alice stated holding me down to the chair by my shoulders.

I pouted as she finished up the last of my curls and unzipped the smaller of the two white garment bags. If I was the old Bella I would have been surprised by what I found inside, but I wasn't. Alice would always go all out. The corset was simple ivory with six eyehooks down the front with garters that attached to ivory tights. The underwear was a pair of very flurry pale blue lace boy shorts with a bow on each side, an innocent look that would drive nearly any man mad.

She helped me into a pair of 4 inch ivory heels, pulled on the corset and slipped on my blue garter. While I was still turned the other way she unzipped the second white garment bag and began to maneuver me in to the dress avoiding my hair and the light layer of make up on my face. I saw brief glimpses of lace and immediately I began to worry about what kind of monstrosity she had purchased. When the dress was secured she turned me to the full length mirror that occupied the corner of her closet. My lungs let out a gasp full of air as my eyes scanned the garment and if it was possible I probably would have had a heart attack. It wasn't modern or sleek, it was vintage and I would bet my right arm that it was early 1900s. The entire dress had a lace ivory overlay with loose sleeves that ended just past the elbows. The neckline was modest, but you could clearly see my cleavage through the lace over my chest. It flowed out slightly and had three tiers of a swooping pattern about a foot off the ground and a short train that trailed behind me. She clasped the matching veil in my flowing curls carefully and the ensemble was complete. I really had never seen anything so perfect in all my life. I would never doubt Alice again.

"Perfect," Alice claimed as a smile adorned her features. "Now stay right here and don't ruin anything. I have to go make sure the others are dressed and get dressed myself. 15 minutes, Bella."

I gave her a large smile before turning my gaze back to the mirror. This is it, Bella. I took a deep breath letting it out slowly as I heard Carlisle and Esme's foot steps down the hall coming towards the door and then a light knock.

"Come in," I called softly and the door opened.

Carlisle looked extremely handsome he had on a black tux, ivory shirt, and midnight blue tie and vest. He had a matching blue rose pinned to his front pocket with small ivory flowers. Esme of course hung at his side wearing a simple blue dress that came down just past her knees.

The smile that lit up their faces when their eyes locked on me was that of proud parents and I couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that built inside of me. I had been so distracted by the day that I had not even thought of who was missing, my parents. A small part of me that had lain dormant all day was upset that they could not be here. My eyes tickled with tears, but I pushed the sad feelings back knowing that if my parents had not have passed I probably would have never met Edward and that was a far greater tragedy. Besides they would be pissed if I let myself even be the slightest bit upset on a day like this. I ran over to them extending my arms around them in a tight hug. They squeezed me tightly back as Carlisle whispered softly to me.

"You look absolutely magnificent, Bella. My son is a very lucky man."

I released them from my hold and stepped back straightening out my dress. He reached in to his pocket pulling out a silver hair pin that I had never seen before. It was adorned with ivory pearls and made my heart melted at its sheer beauty.

"Esme wanted you to wear it as your something borrowed," Carlisle stated seeming a bit unsure of how I was going to react to the gesture.

"I wore it to our first wedding," Esme added squeezing Carlisle's hand.

I gave them a beaming smile nodding my head a little in excitement. Carlisle placed it in the hair on the right side of my face holding it back in place as Alice, Sammy, and Rose came waltzing in the room. Their bridesmaid dresses were a radiant midnight blue, floor length, strapless and elegant. I had decided last minute to have Rose in the wedding. We had worked out our differences and I wanted her to be apart of the occasion. Emmett would walk down the aisle with Sammy and Rose and to say he was excited was an understatement. He rushed in to the room wrapping one arm around both of them receiving two smacks to the back of his head as the girls laughed.

"Alright, something borrowed, hair pin, something old, your dress, something blue, the garter," Alice said checking through her list out loud. "Darn it, what is it that I'm forgetting?"

She looked like she was concentrating really hard as Jasper strolled in to the room carrying a small blue jewelry box handing it to me as he answered her question.

"Something new, darling, they're from all of us."

I looked down at the box and around to my family feeling my heart swell with happiness. The only thing that could make me happier at that moment would be having Edward here, but I would have to wait a few more moments for that. I opened the box and revealed ivory pearl earrings a perfect match to the ones in the comb holding my hair.

"They're beautiful you guys! Thank you!" I exclaimed pulling them out of the box. Rose reached for them and placed them in my ears tenderly as everyone filed out of the room and down to the first floor.

Carlisle took my arm in his speaking softly as he ushered me down the stairs as well.

"By the way your eyes look beautiful, Bella, Edward is going to be speechless when he sees you."

We stopped at the back porch door just behind Sammy, Emmett and Rose. The piano started to play, Alice and Jasper walked out side and I took a deep breath my mind clearing of every thought, but one. Edward is waiting for me and I'm about to be Mrs. Bella Cullen.

**EPOV**

We won the paintball game, but I couldn't say I was surprised, we had skill. When we arrived home it felt strange to not be able to go greet Bella. Alice had her locked up in the fortress of her bathroom like a freaking prisoner of war. I slipped in to mine and Bella's room finding my garment bag hanging on the door of the closet. I took a quick cold shower avoiding taking care of my erection that had been plaguing me all day. There's nothing I would ever do to ruin this night, especially getting myself off when I would enjoy it so much more if I waited until I was with Bella. When I emerged from the bathroom I pulled on my midnight blue boxers going with the evening's themed color as Alice demanded. I dressed myself buttoning the blue vest and tying the tie in place with perfect precision.

My mind felt like it was everywhere at once, but consistently in the center of all my thoughts was Bella, my Bella. I wondered what she would look like the moment she walked down the aisle, if she would fumble over her vows like I had always imagined her doing. The thoughts of my family filtered in to my mind against my will, but they were all blocking me with one thing or another. Sammy had discussed shielding me from their thoughts today, but I didn't feel right having her do that. It was too strange being shielded by someone other than Bella. I watched the clock as the seconds ticked by until it was finally time to head downstairs. I stood at the end of the natural snow covered aisle underneath the ivory wooden archway covered in midnight blue roses, twinkling lights and gorgeous green vines. The sun loomed on the horizon and Eleazar came to stand to my right squeezing my shoulder with his hand in a loving gesture. Everyone took their seats in the ivory chairs that lined the walkway and Esme took her seat at my piano playing a sweet slow melody.

The porch doors opened, Alice and Jasper stepped out from inside walking across the porch and down the wooden steps that were covered in the same roses, lights and vines as the arch above me. Their slow, but steady pace was maddening. My eyes never left the porch waiting for my princess to emerge, to bring the color back to my life that was missing every moment she was not near. Emmett appeared out of the door Sammy on his right and Rose on his left. They walked a ways behind Alice and Jasper reaching the end of the steps as Alice and Jasper broke off from each other Jasper coming to stand by my side. When Sammy, Emmett, and Rose finally made it to the front I was holding my breath in anticipation, my nerves tingling throughout my entire body. The song Esme was playing morphed in to Bella's lullaby as an angel emerged before me.

There were no words to describe this moment, no words that could sum up the beauty that is Isabella. She shined like the brightest star in the heavens, a manifestation of perfection. Her hair fell in curls around her pale face held off only by her veil and a hair pin. Her dress hugged her curves in an antique lace gown that looked almost like something she would have worn had we been married nearly a century ago. A soft glint of gold caught my attention, a stunning topaz that made her eyes sparkle with exuberance. Golden eyes had replaced which was once brown then crimson making her truly more radiant than I could ever comprehend.

Carlisle placed her hand in mine and I let out the breath I had been holding. My mind was reeling with overwhelming joy, I couldn't help myself. I leaned in placing my lips on hers with passion so intense I was sure we would melt into oblivion or become a puddle of molten hot mess. A throat was cleared and I released her missing her lips immediately.

"We are gathered here today under the eyes of god to join Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Cullen in holy matrimony," Eleazar announced speaking to the people around us, but it all sounded like a blur.

Her golden eyes were affixed on mine and there was no clear rational thought. Bella had taken over every part of my body, every inch of my mind, every bit of my soul. That's right, soul. If this exquisite creature loves me I must have a soul. I rubbed her hands in mine staring at her like she was a goddess, because she really is one. Eleazar said my name and I realized that it was time to speak my vows. I was supposed to speak? How? I swallowed back the lump in my throat trying to get my lips to move. Everything I had thought to say had slipped from my brain so I finally gave up trying to think of what I had intended on saying. I placed my hand on her cheek rubbing it lightly as I let my unaltered thoughts spill out for the world to hear.

"You look so incredible tonight, my Bella. Eyes the color of stars, lips the color of ripe strawberries, beauty beyond my wildest imagination. You have captured every single part of my being and I just hope I'm good enough to bask in eternal bliss with you. More than words, love, that is what this is. The feelings I have for you are more than the words I could use to describe them. I will spend my existence drowning in your presence and I will not ever let you go. I love you and _you_ are everything."

I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead moving my hand back down to grasp hers. As Eleazar continued I felt her intake of breath slow and unsteady and I gazed into her golden orbs as she fumbled to find words. I squeezed her hand and a smile spread across her face as the words finally broke free.

"Intoxicated, that's how you make me feel; you took my world and spun it in a direction I didn't even know existed. You pulled me from the deepest pit of despair and I fell hard for you and I will never be happier that I was such a klutz. I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you, my Edward. Love isn't a good enough word for what we have; this is heaven, Edward Cullen. I want to be with you for always. I want to lay beside you as we read, be with you when you graduate high school and college a thousand times over, travel the world with you, spend days behind closed doors and curled up in bed with you. I will spend my existence giving you the world because that's what you've given me. I love you and _you_ are everything."

We exchanged rings and locked hands as Eleazar finished up the last of his speech before speaking the words I had waited almost a century to hear.

"You may kiss the bride."

I wrapped my right arm around Bella's waist, my left clasping the side of her face. My lips slid across hers sparks of electricity tingling through our lips as I felt flurries of snow landing on our skin. Her hands weaved into my hair and the world dipped in to a blurred haze of cheers as I savored her delicious taste on my tongue, drank in her essence the taste of pure heaven. After what seemed like a brief blip in time, which was most likely minutes, I pried my lips away and pressed my forehead to hers as we breathed in panted heaves of air.

"For the first time I'd like to present Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Cullen," Eleazar announced his voice cutting through the clouded haze.

I came back to Earth holding an angel in my arms, Mrs. Isabella Marie Cullen.

Congratulations were thrown about, but our eyes never left each other. I could tell by the look in her eyes that just like me she couldn't wait for us to be alone. We danced for a while placating my sister and the rest of the family, but after about an hour or so we excused ourselves. As soon as we were out of sight of the others I swept her up in to my arms and ran like I have never run before. My parents had set up the guest house for us, a simple cottage on the outskirts of their rather large property. I swung the door open not even bothering to explain the wedding gift to Bella, but in my defense she honestly did not seem to care. Her lips found purchase on mine and her hands twirled in my hair as she purred like a fucking kitten.

My hands came around to the clasps on the back of her dress and I released her from the garment tossing it to the floor as I carried her to the bedroom and laid her out on the bed. My eyes went wide as I leaned back and saw what lay underneath the modest dress she had worn. She pulled the pin and veil from her hair with a mischievous grin as I gazed upon her unable to speak; the corset she wore made her breasts overflow and the frills on her blue boy shorts made me salivate like a damn dog. I pulled my jacket off and pounced on her as a growl ripped from my chest. She yanked the tie around my neck smacking her lips against mine with force and need as my hands roamed her body snapping the garters that held her tights up. I nipped at her lip and she let my mouth roam from her lips and down the front of her body where I used my teeth to unclasp each eyehook on her corset as she whimpered and moaned.

When she was free of the contraption I threw it to the ground as I let out a groan of satisfaction at the sight of her perfectly plump tits. She looked like a dessert lay before me begging to be eaten.

"You look delectable, Mrs. Cullen," I said softly as I left open mouth kisses along her stomach running my tongue up to her breasts and around each nipple. Her head flew back her hands once again finding their way to my hair as I suckled on each taut peak rolling my tongue as she hissed at the overwhelming sensation. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself in to, my darling wife. I can be quite a handful."

I pushed my fabric covered erection against her heated center as words fell from her lips.

"Oh fuck, Edward."

"I can feel how bad you want me, Kitten. Ugh, the things I'm going to do to you," I murmured against her skin as I rubbed my body along hers.

"Edward, please!" Bella cried grabbing a hand full of my shirt and tie ripping them both off of me and tossing them to the ground.

"Patience, love, I intend on worshipping my new wife until theirs nothing left, but you're taste coating my mouth, my fingers and my horribly aching cock so why don't you relax and enjoy the ride," I whispered in her ear as I slipped out of my pants.

"Ugh, Edward," Bella whimpered while my mouth trailed back down her body stopping to devour every inch of skin as I get closer to her soaking wet heat.

My hands moved over her legs and peeled her tights off her body at a slow torturous speed as I kiss the area right above her innocent blue panties. I run my tongue down to her blue garter and placed it lightly in my mouth as I moved down her leg bringing the garter with me.

"Oh Edward, ugh, god," She moaned as I slipped it all the way off.

"I love these panties, love, but I'm afraid they have to go," I growled as my hands ran back up her legs coming to a stop on her hips.

Leaning forward I took the material in to my mouth and with one jerk I ripped the lace from her body as Bella screamed out my name.

"Edward!"

Holding her thighs in my hands I took in a deep breath of Bella's mind numbing scent before running my tongue once up her slit as she wiggled and panted beneath me.

"Mm, you taste like heaven, love, sweet, wet, perfect, heaven," I said softly blowing my breath on to her pussy as it dripped on to the bed.

"Ugh, please, please Edward, I need you," She whimpered when the cool air hit her heat.

"Patience is a virtue, my beautiful wife," I whispered running my fingers between her folds and pressing against her clit as she let out loud uninhibited moans. "Lucky for you it's a virtue I don't have at the moment."

I slid two fingers in to her curling them as her back arched off the bed. I moved my tongue to her clit flicking it fast as she growled and shred the white comforter at her sides like a tiger.

"FUCK! Edward! UGH! Holy fuck!"

After growling in to her delicious core I sucked her clit in to my mouth swirling my tongue around it as I moved my fingers within her pressing with just the right amount of pressure. Her knees started to tremble, her walls getting tighter around the digits that were buried deep within her. I could feel her starting to let go so I gripped on to her ass with my other hand sucking and licking and pushing her to the brink before she tumbled over the edge shouting out my name in ecstasy as her sweet juices flowed out on to my hand.

"EDWARD!"

I pulled my fingers from inside her and sucked the liquid off of them before diving in to the source penetrating her with my tongue and lapping at her. Her body convulsed, her thighs clenched and she screamed out in a second release bucking in to me as I growled like a beast.

"GOD DAMN! FUCK!"

I licked her as she rode her orgasm until she pulled me up by my hair.

"That was amazing Mr. Cullen, now let your wife thank you properly," She said with a smirk flipping us so she could straddle my waist the only barrier between us being my boxers. "Do you know what I'm going to do with you, my naughty husband?"

Her body slid down mine and she nipped at the skin on my chest as I moaned a reply.

"No, but I can't wait to find out, my vixen wife. I could always use another helping of dessert."

I licked my lips and for a second it looked like Bella's eyes rolled back in to her head as she trailed her tongue down towards the edge of my pants. She latched on to my boxers with her teeth sending them flying across the room with a growl. I didn't even have time to think before her lips wrapped around my cock and her warm mouth started to bob up and down along my length.

"SHIT!" I screamed as my hands flew to her hair. I ran my fingers through it guiding her up and down as her tongue twirled around me making me whimper.

"Fuck, Bella, ugh, god, shit."

She hummed in pleasure while I tugged lightly on her hair and I lost all sanity thrusting up in to her mouth until she took me in fully. She moaned around me sending vibrations throughout my body as her naughty little fingers massaged my balls and that was it that was all I could take. My knees locked as I let out a menacing growl releasing in to her mouth while she sucked and licked swallowing every drop like I was a god damn milk shake on a hot sunny day.

I pulled on her hair tugging her up and away from my cock and attacking her mouth with mine. Our tastes mingled as our tongues twisted together and we moaned in to the crevice of each other's mouths. My erection came back to life and I slammed her on to the bed beneath me wrapping my arms around her and diving in with no warning. She let out a surprised, but pleasured scream in to my mouth and I tore my lips from hers leaning in to her neck and leaving hot wet kisses on her skin as I began rocking into her.

"God, you're so fucking perfect. I love you, Bella. Ugh, fuck!" I moaned pushing deep and hard, but at a slow torturous pace.

Bella's legs wrapped around my waist and her nails scraped along my back as my cock glided between her walls like silk. She met each thrust with her own moaning deep and husky as I pressed harder.

"I love you, Edward. Oh my, ugh, I'm so close, ugh fuck, Edward!"

"Me too, you feel so good, Bella. Ugh, Come for me and let me see in to your mind, love. I want to know what your thinking when you come for me," I whispered as I continued to thrust into her feeling her pussy start to throb and my stomach start to curl.

"Now, Bella, now!" I growled and her mind opened up her thoughts becoming clear as we both reached the edge.

_I fucking love you, my husband, forever._

She smashed my lips to hers and showed me every memory she had of us even fuzzy human memories that I was more than positive she lost as we teetered on the edge of climax. I thrust into her one final time and we both fell, the world exploding in a flash of light as we released gripping on to each other with such force that it felt like we would crumble and disintegrate. Our tongues mingled as we fell from grace and every last inch of us was connected, mind, body and soul, together, in perfect harmony, for all eternity.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

**BPOV**

**June 15, 2005**

It's been almost four months since the wedding and with every passing day we get more nervous. I've been working hard in training and mastered most of my abilities. I learned how to use my mental shield to block out certain abilities in my mind so I'm not constantly bombarded with thoughts or feelings like Edward and Jasper. I know how to inflict just the right amount of Kate's shock and Jane's torture to immobilize up to 7 attackers at once. Tracking is second nature to me now; in fact not even Demetri can hide from me. My abilities all seem to be getting easier to control as time passes, all except one. The only one that I still seem to have a problem with is my physical shield which ironically is the most crucial to our survival. I have no problem keeping it up when I'm up against four or even five attackers, but when faced with more than that I always seem to fail to keep it standing and if I didn't figure it out how to hold it soon it could cost us everything.

"Come on, Bella, hold steady!" Carlisle yelled from outside my protective dome.

My eyebrows were scrunched as I strained to fight the onslaught. Jasper, Emmett, Demetri, Jacob, Jasper, and Seth ran full speed in to the shield again and I felt it ripple upon contact, warping like flimsy tin under their crushing combined weight.

"Keep it up, love. Don't be so fucking weak! Fight it!" Edward screamed.

Edward always pushed me the hardest knowing how I would beat myself up later. My hands balled in to fists, my teeth ground together in aggravation. They charged again with the addition of Eleazar and when they collided with the wall the weight against me made my knees buckle destroying my concentration and popping my shield like a soap bubble.

"SON OF A BITCH, MOTHER FUCKING, SHIT, FUCK!" I shouted as I used my telekinesis to rip a tree from the ground and sent it hurdling through the air landing with a boom that shook the ground.

Edward's arms were wrapped around me instantly his hand rubbing smoothly on my hair.

"It's alright, my Bella, you'll get it. You're making progress, you've never been able to hold back six," he said trying to comfort me, but it only reminded me of how big of a failure I was.

"Six is nothing, Edward! The Volturi could come any day now and they'll be bringing 20 at the very least. You're all going to die and it's because I can't keep my stupid fucking shield up!" I stated pushing him away from me and rushing off in to the trees as I heard Carlisle's voice.

"Let her go, Edward. Just give her some time."

Time… you think with eternal life there would be enough of it, but there's not. The clock is counting down and soon there may not be any time left. Right now there's no more time to relax, time to enjoy, time to have fun only time to think and to plan. At that moment I know I'm being selfish, but I need time away just a few hours away from all the weight on my shoulders that's threatening to crush me to death. I run as fast as my feet can carry me for miles in to the white wilderness ahead stopping only to devour a few caribou. I reach the peak of a mountain just as the sun starts to set on the horizon shades of pink and orange filling the sky. I sit on the edge of the rock cliff and watch as the sun disappears. The sun sets late this time of year and I know I've been gone for several hours, but I can't seem to make myself go back yet. It's like I'm waiting for something only problem is I don't know what.

Even though Alice and I both have visions they're too blurry at the moment to really make any sense. We tried separating ourselves from the wolves seeing if that would help, but it did nothing so I'm as blind as I have always been to the future except for that one vision I had of Edward which feels impossible given our current situation. Death or capture seems inevitable and I'm truly hoping for the latter. Maybe if the Volturi takes me they'll leave my family alone and that seems to be the best that I can hope for. I place my head in my hands and let out a deep sigh just as a sound reaches my ears, the gentle shift of snow under the pressure of feet, and not those of my family. My body reacts on instinct and I leap up in to a crouch turning to face whatever advisory is waiting for me. How could I be so stupid? I should have never left the family at a time like this. The steps get closer and a snarl escapes my chest as I throw up my physical shield in anticipation. I ready myself for an attack as I see a figure step out of the tree line and than I see violet, electric violet, the color of lightning.

My body tenses when several more shadows emerge from the dark and a growl erupts from within me. The creatures are calm and move in a fluid almost ghost like motion easing toward me in the way you would a small frightened child, but I'm no child and I damn sure am not going to go down with out a fight. Using my power I lift a tree from its roots behind them and in one quick motion I chuck it in their direction. The creature that had appeared out of the woods first raises his hand calmly stopping the massive tree in mid-air and snaps his fingers causing it to disintegrate into saw dust.

"What are you?" I murmured feeling suddenly helpless.

I gazed confused at the six creatures each dressed in a black tee shirt and dark blue jeans their eyes all electric violet and mesmerizing. A male with brown hair and toned muscles stands in front of the others, three more males and two females. They all appear to be in their late teens, early twenties, but as I know all too well looks can be deceiving. The brunette stepped closer to me extending his hand in an all too human gesture. I took in the positions of the others and making either the best or worst decision of my life I dropped my shield clasping his hand with mine and giving it a shake.

"My name is Alexander and although what we are may seem important to you, what we are here to do is much more critical Isabella Cullen," he stated when his hand released mine.

His voice, as hard and smooth as ice, sent a shiver up my spine. I inhaled a breath of air noting that they indeed had no scent. The others stood back still as statues as Alexander snapped his fingers a scroll appearing where there had been nothing, but air. I let out a gasp as he nudged the rolled up piece of paper in my direction. Swallowing my fear I reached for the paper sliding it out of his hand. He stepped back taking the same stance as the others behind him and I gently opened the scroll being careful to not tear the fragile paper.

_**March 2, 1998** _

_**Dear Isabella,** _

_**My name is Sandrine Beaumont-Evans and my time is coming to an end. I'm writing this to you in my last moments in hopes that you will accept your destiny as I have. I was born October 4, 1864 in Paris, France to Nicolas and Sophie Beaumont and if my fellow protectors succeeded with our plans you know all about how possible that is. From early childhood I knew I was different. I was smarter and faster than my peers, but it was more than just about brains or speed I could see things before they happened sometimes months or even years in advance. The more important the event was the clearer the vision. As I grew my muddy hazel eyes turned the most beautiful violet hue, an electric color that seemed to match my exuberant personality.** _

_**At the age of 18 a young man came to town, Alexander, and he explained to me what I was and when the time is right he will explain to you who are people are, but for now it is crucial to concentrate on the task at hand. A few years before you were born I had a vision that a power hungry male vampire would enslave the human race, use them as cattle to control humans and vampires alike. He would use the ability of another to brainwash all those who stood in his way and in the end his actions would kill every living creature on Earth, humans, vampires, protectors, animals and plants would all die. Life would be abolished. I was plagued by my vision so distraught that not a living soul could console me.** _

_**On September 13, 1987 the vision changed… the exact moment you were born to this world. I know this is going to be hard for you to read, but it is important you know the truth. When you were born your mother died in childbirth, your father was unknown and you were placed in to an orphanage. We arranged for a couple to adopt you. Renee and Phil wanted so bad to be parents, but were unable to have children of their own. They loved you like you were their own knowing that they would have to leave you just after your 17** _ _**th** _ _**birthday. They took you knowing they would die, Isabella, and when the time came they died knowing that humanity would live. There was no other way and I hope by the time you finish reading this you will understand that sacrifices were made by all of us.** _

_**Eternity with Edward was always part of your destiny. If it was not for the threat on humanity you would have met him anyway so don't second guess yourself. My friends are there to protect you and yours, to ensure that every small detail goes as planned so that life lives on as it has for thousands of years. Help us, Isabella, because you are life's last chance.** _

_**With My Eternal Gratitude and Love,** _

_**Sandrine Beaumont-Evans** _

_**P.S. Please tell Alexander that I will love him always.** _

The scroll dropped from my hands my eyes prickled with tears my lips unable to form words so instead I fell to my knees crying out to the heavens as my shoulders raked with dry sobs. I placed my head in my hands and screamed with all my might feeling the Earth shudder beneath me from the force of my cry. I shouted at the top of my lungs for what seemed like hours, mourning the loss of my parents who had sacrificed their lives for me, feeling completely unworthy of such love. When all hope seemed lost I felt a pair of arms embrace me and the sound of a soft chant in an unknown language vibrated in my ears.

I took a few deep breaths viewing the world around me as the sun peeked out from behind the mountains illuminating the violet eyed creatures who sat around me in a circle meditating as I was embraced by Alexander I could feel his grief from the loss of Sandrine wash over me in waves as he clutched on to me. The grief of his friends drifted in and than my own grief swirled in to the mix, hurt finding hurt. The sky turned orange and pink and then a beautiful sky blue as the morning breeze blew through calming us all like the caress of a lover's hand. Alexander pulled away and it was clear on his face as well as the others how much they had sacrificed to be here. I realized what I had to do and the weight on my shoulders that threatened to crush me to death increased ten fold.

**EPOV**

Bella had been gone all night and I was more than worried at that point I was terrified. I was pacing our room avoiding the thoughts of others as best I could. I should have followed her, how could I be stupid? I let out a growl of frustration as I continued to pace thinking about all the things that could have happened to her only making me more frightened. The sun had risen a while ago and I was preparing to go search for her if she didn't arrive back soon when thoughts invaded my mind that I so rarely got to hear.

_I'm sorry I scared you. Come out, my Edward, there are a few people I would like you to meet. Please don't tell the others…I love you._

I rushed outside not even stopping to consider who might be with her. All that mattered was Bella was outside waiting for me. Pulling her in to my arms I kissed her with so much passion that she swayed slightly from the force.

"Don't ever do that to me again, love," I snapped when I released her lips and that's when I noticed an intense violet color in the side of my vision.

I whipped my head around to find six violet eyed creatures staring back at me and I crouched snarling ferociously holding out my arms protectively in front of Bella.

"Seriously, all that training and you still think I can't take care of myself, my Edward," Bella stated touching my shoulder and squeezing it gently. "They're friends."

"This is Alexander, Alessia, Raylene, Liam, Zareb, and Tamotsu. They're here to help us. Well, protect us actually," Bella said pointing to each one from left to right as I pulled myself up from a crouch.

Except for the eyes and they're matching clothes they all looked so different. Alexander was pale and had brown hair with a tone, but lean body like mine. Alessia had olive colored skin, long chestnut hair, a small frame like Alice and a swirling blue tattoo that curved around her right eye. Raylene had fair skin, platinum blonde hair that stopped mid back, and a petite, but curvy shape. Liam had pale skin, auburn short hair and a lean body with swirling Celtic tattoos on his neck. Zareb had dark colored skin, a shaved head, and a built frame, burly, but not quite as big as Emmett. Tamotsu was of Asian decent with light skin, black hair that fell in front of his eyes, and a dragon tattoo that went up the entire length of his left arm. I took in a few deep breaths and than extended my hand to Alexander who stood in front of the others.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen," I said as he reached out and gave my hand a shake.

"Alexander Evans," he replied. "We have a lot to discuss with you and Bella, if you wouldn't mind coming somewhere private with us."

I sized them up and looked at Bella who gave me a nod. If Bella thought it was safe than I trusted her. I gave him a nod and gestured for him to lead the way. As we walked Bella showed me a scroll Alexander had given her and told me about her evening. We stopped a short distance in to the forest at a small clearing where there were a few fallen logs. Everyone took a seat on the logs and Bella curled in to my lap as Alexander explained why we were here.

"The others and my self make up a very elite species, not so different from your own. We've got the same mental capacity, speed, and strength as vampires, but none of the downfalls. We never eat or sleep and we do not have to drink blood to sustain ourselves. We survive entirely off of energy; our powers are what keep us alive and young. We are protectors and we do exactly that, we protect no more and no less. Very little is known of the ones who came before us, but a very long time ago when the Earth was young it is said that a handful of people were picked by the angels to protect what God had created. Children who had shown great promise with hearts as pure as their souls were chosen, their bodies and minds changed to be as strong as their greatest advisories. Violet eyes the color of lightning, brains to match brawn, speed faster than any other creature on Earth and we were unmatched until vampires came in to existence.

The only way for us to die that I know of is to stop using our powers or be drained of our blood by a vampire. When that was discovered our kind was suddenly confronted with equals, creatures that could kill us. Whenever protectors are killed there abilities are absorbed by their killer and when a few greedy vampires discovered this they found ways to trap us, to suck us dry of blood to gain our abilities. When vampires died their souls kept the ability trapping it for their next life where they would breed and pass the ability on unknowingly. New protectors were created, but it was already too late.

One of our ancestors named Azim had the power to manipulate the mind, create illusions that would make a vampire or person believe whatever he wished, and another by the name of Sacha had the ability to erase memories. A vampire named Donovan discovered this and murdered both of them absorbing their powerful abilities. The protectors eventually killed him, but unbeknown to our ancestors Donovan was reincarnated and spawned a son, Drake… We believe Aro is the vampire that Sandrine envisioned and that he is going to use Drake in his quest to enslave humanity and we need your wife and your family to help stop them."

"You believe?!" I shouted. "You expect us to help you and risk our lives and you don't even know who the hell you're after!"

"Sandrine would not tell us who the vampires were she said it would ruin the future and we all would die, Edward Cullen!" Alexander yelled back giving me a hard stare. "Is that what you want? Because I guarantee if your wife and your family don't help us that will be exactly what will happen."

I took a deep breath letting my brain absorb all the information.

"How long do we have to stop them?" I asked squeezing Bella's hand tightly.

"We have until two weeks after Bella's 18th birthday and then it will be too late," Alexander responded and I saw in his face the fear that seemed to match my own.

Bella turned to face me her golden eyes sparkling even though her face was a mask of fear. She placed her hands on my cheeks and caressed my face with her finger tips.

"I want to do this, Edward. I need to protect what's important to me and that's you and our family. You're my destiny and I will fight the world to keep you," Bella said her sweet strawberry breath blowing over my lips.

I smashed my lips to hers so I could savor her strawberry taste as she let out a small moan in satisfaction before I pulled away sweeping her hair from her face.

"Than let's embrace destiny, love," I replied giving her a crocked smile and than turning to Alexander. "I'm in, now what?"

So we had three months to find and kill the leader of Volturi who had more than 400 vampires in his guard and Drake, a being capable of brainwashing every mind on the planet except a select few vampires that could shield their minds, hopefully without dying in the process. Lucky for Bella I would go to hell and back for her. I may be her destiny, but she is mine and I'll be damned if anyone's going to take her life away even if it costs me mine.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**APOV (Alexander)**

The Cullens provided us with a place to stay for the time being, a cottage on their property, and while the others made themselves comfortable watching television and getting to know the rest of the Cullen clan I excused myself to take a walk. Breathing is pointless for our kind, a completely voluntary act, but I find it helps relax me so I took in a large intake of breath tasting the damp ground with a hint of pine. Regretfully, it did nothing to calm my nerves. I knew what it is I needed to do to make me feel whole again and yet I continued to deny myself the luxury. It would only hurt me more in the long run if I used my unique gift.

I had yet to give any thought to whether or not I would tell the Cullens of my gift, the extra ability that I had been given. All of the protectors had a gift, they needed it to survive and conquer their enemies, but I was special, I had two. My ability to manifest and destroy things was little more than a parlor trick compared to my other gift. When I first discovered my talent it was shortly after Sandrine had sacrificed herself a memory I would never forget.

" _It is complete, Alexander. I'll give you a few moments," Liam said his Irish accent heavy with sadness as he walked away from the bed where the body of my greatest love lay._

_I squeezed her hand in mine and it hit me like a sledge hammer to the chest, Sandrine was dead…My head fell to her chest as my heart shattered and I let out a sound that I could only describe as a wail of agony. I clutched her in my arms and wept like a child shocking her still body with my electric tears._

" _Come back to me, Sandrine! We'll find another way! Just come back to me!" I screamed as I shook uncontrollably._

_I buried my head in her shoulder unable to find in myself the strength to let her go. This was her will, the only future she saw that would work, but yet I would give up the world if she could just come back. After a while the tears stopped only to reveal the hollow feeling that now replaced my insides. Nothing would ever be the same again. I rested her back against the sheets and let my head fall to her chest so my cheek was right above her still heart. Shutting my eyes I listened hard for its steady thumping rhythm wishing that it would beat for me again and work to pump her electric blood through her body. I wanted her to be with me so much so that I could almost hear her soft giggles. I felt a gentle breeze caress my skin and I ignored it at first, but than I caught the scent of Sandrine, lavender and honey suckle, and my eyes flew open._

_It was her eyes, the brightest most beautiful violet I had ever seen, that brought me such joy that I could not speak. We were lying out on a grassy hill, my head was resting on her heart and her hands were running softly through my hair twirling it in her fingers, her gorgeous light brown hair falling in waves around her face. She gave me a sweet smile and in a gesture as normal to me as walking I leaned my face forward and captured her lips with mine. Her mouth opened and allowed me entrance and as her intoxicating taste reached my taste buds it wiped away every thought in my brain. I reached for her entangling my hands in her hair while she let out a throaty moan at the overwhelming sensation. Nestling myself between her legs I laid her back on the warm inviting grass as I released her from the confines of her sunset yellow dress and cherry red undergarments._

_My clothes were removed by her heated electric touch as I continued to kiss her lips drinking in her essence. I entered her for what must have been the billionth time, but it still felt so new, so warm, so electrifying. Her moans of approval encouraged me to continue and so I pushed forward thrusting in to her as her hands gripped on to my back with a need so strong I wanted to weep. We groaned in to each other's mouth at the intensity of our connection and I ran my hands over her body as if exploring her for the first time feeling her writher when my thumbs grazed her taut nipples. My stomach knotted in pleasure and I began to thrust quicker feeling her clench around me in climax as she growled in to my mouth causing my own release._

_The world around me faded into a dim blur and when I finally pulled my lips away from her lips resting my forehead against hers she became the only clear thing in my vision. We both panted starring into each other's eyes and gazing with such love and compassion that words seemed almost pointless. I slid out of her and we laid there for a few moments before she finally spoke as she ran her fingers along my shoulders and back._

" _I need you to listen very closely. You have to go, Alexander. Your place is not in the world of after there's still so much to do."_

" _I just can't do it, Sandrine. I cannot live without you… I cannot live without my heart," I replied feeling my chest ache at the thought of going back to the nothingness I felt just before finding myself in the world of after._

" _We will be together again when the sun has risen on destiny and evil has lost, but a world will be left shattered and you must be there to pick up the pieces. You will know what to do when the time comes, but you will have to work fast before it's too late and what is taken can never be returned. This is all I ask of you, my darling, so go back and complete what we have started," Sandrine responded giving me a look filled with compassion and love and she knew she got through to me. "I will wait for you and love you always."_

" _As I will you, my heart… as I will you," I whispered leaning forward and kissing her with a passionate deep longing as one final tear fell from my eye running across my cheek._

_I felt the gentle breeze and than the nothing, the empty nothing. I opened my eyes feeling the cold still body of my life beneath my cheek and I leaned back in my chair as the door opened. Zareb walked over and placed his hands on my shoulder in a sign of comfort._

" _It is time to go, my friend; there is still much to do," he stated in his thick African accent._

_Standing up I lifted the blanket on the bed and pulled it up to cover my wife's body tucking her in as if she were asleep. Leaning over I placed a soft kiss on her forehead._

" _Rest, my heart, because for now we have parted, but soon we will meet again," I whispered against her skin before turning away and walking out of the room not giving myself the opportunity to look back._

_We left that night headed to America for our new protector, Raylene, a protector with the power of visions both future and past, a power she had been gifted with when my wife stopped using it in order to sacrifice herself for our cause._

So if I gave in to temptation I could cross the plain that would take me to the world of after and let me rest in her arms, see her face, feel her touch, but I could tell you exactly what would happen if I used my gift. She would be angry at first. Sandrine never liked it when I came to visit because it could compromise our entire plan, but after a little bit of coercion she would give in and make love to me.

Afterwards she would guilt me in to coming back to save humanity using the same cryptic words about the sun rising on destiny every time. I tried not to think about the words too much. Sandrine only went through the trouble of making her words cryptic when she felt that it may ruin the future to explain the situation out right. When the time came it would make sense or at least I hoped it would.

**BPOV**

"So you were the one who showed us all those visions?" I asked Raylene when I discovered her power.

"Yep, it was part of the plan. I couldn't allow Jacob to get in the way so I needed Edward and him to have a common enemy. Sorry about making you hit your head though, we needed you to meet Carlisle ASAP," Raylene responded flipping her hair back with a bubbly smile before Sammy walked in to the room and she ran off to introduce herself.

If Raylene wasn't a protector I would have pinned her as one of the airhead cheerleader types. The sound of her high pitched voice and the way she carried herself just reminded me of a ditzy blonde, but when you actually listened to her talk she could be highly intellectual. She had only been with the protectors since the beginning of 1998 and was the youngest by at least a century so I could imagine the reason why she acted the way she did was because it distinguished her from the others in her group. Her tight low rise jeans and black flowing top covered in small sparkly beads caught the light as she bounced around the room talking animatedly with anyone who would listen.

"I'm so glad she finally has other people to talk to. She has a way of driving me absolutely _pazzo_ ," Alessia stated from behind me, her Italian accent getting my attention.

" _Pazzo_?" I asked turning my head to look at her with a confused expression.

"Oh, sorry I forget sometimes that not everyone speaks Italian," she said with a nervous laugh. " _Pazzo_ means crazy,"

A squeal came from the other side of the room and I looked over to see Alice and Raylene embracing and bouncing up and down like a pair of crazed boy band adolescents.

"It's official they have both gone completely _pazzo_ ," I said to Alessia and we both laughed. Her face lit up with amusement and her eyes sparkled, the violet color brought out even more by the sapphire blue tattoo against her olive skin. "I really love your tattoo. I wish I could get one, but vampire skin's too hard."

"Thanks, yeah, protectors have two layers of skin the top layer is kind of like human skin so it is penetrable and the bottom layer is thick like your skin. It won't ever come off with laser treatments or stuff like that, but it does fade so I have to get it touched up ever 10 years or so," Alessia explained. "If you could what would you get?"

I knew exactly what I would get and if I was human I would be beat red. I gave her a smile and was about to tell her when Edward walked up and wrapped his arms around me.

" _Ciao_ , love, _si guarda cosi bella_ ," Edward whispered in my ear and the sound of his voice in Italian had me fighting very hard to keep myself dry.

I opened up my mind and sent him a message.

_When you talk in Italian you make it very hard to think, my Edward._

When I closed the connection he squeezed my body close to his so that his erection grinded against my ass as he whispered in my ear again.

"If you think that's hard just wait until later, my _splendida agnello_."

I had to clamp my mouth shut to stop a moan from escaping me and when I looked over at Alessia she was staring at us with a smile that said 'she knew exactly what was going on'. That's when I noticed I had failed to keep myself dry. I felt like I was going to keel over and die of embarrassment, but lucky for me Emmett saved the day, well sort of.

"Jesus, these love birds just never quit. So Alessia, what's your power?" Emmett asked not even beating around the bush. She opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off holding his hands to his head like one of those pay by the minute psychics and scrunching his eyes closed to look like he was in deep concentration. "Wait let me guess, you can teleport to another dimension where people wear pants on their heads and quack like ducks?"

Alessia, Edward and I all started laughing hysterically when Emmett started to demonstrate said dimension eliminating my awkward embarrassment. When the laughter died down I asked her what her real power was and the funny thing was Emmett was pretty close. She could teleport which she demonstrated by disappearing and reappearing in front of Liam, the Irish guy who could make himself invisible, giving us a wave.

"Sweet!" Emmett explained before walking over in Rose's direction where she was busy talking to Zareb about his power of creating up to 10 duplicates of himself. "Hey Rosie, I want to start one of those psychic hotlines. My motto can be so close I'm almost right."

"Or it could be so stupid I'm almost special ed," Rose replied which caused another round of laughter that everyone joined in on this time including Tamotsu, the quiet Asian who could shape shift into any creature you could possibly think of including a werewolf.

"So what do you say we go hunt? We could make it wet and I could watch you get all dirty," Edward whispered before sucking lightly on my neck and any hope I had of functioning that night was lost.

We rushed out of the cottage passing Alexander in the doorway. I flew out in front of Edward as the thunder clapped and the storm we conjured began to roll in. I sniffed the air and shifted my direction north towards the wet thick pulsing blood of a mountain lion. Edward came up on my side with a devious smirk.

"That mountain lion is mine, Edward," I snarled.

"Not if I get to it first, my Bella," he countered racing off in front of me as I let out a menacing growl.

I focused on a tree just ahead of Edward and struck it with lightning knocking it down in front of him. He barely even paused, but it gave me just enough time to slip past him and pounce on to the black feline as it snarled viciously. I sunk my teeth in and swallowed the blood that poured in to my mouth greedily sucking the animal dry and then used my telekinesis to tear it apart and bury it. I could feel the blood dripping down my mouth and I stood up facing Edward. He licked his lips and stepped forward grabbing my hair in his hand. His head inched towards mine and his tongue darted out to lick up the blood that dripped along my chin and neck as he let out a deep throaty moan.

"Mm you taste fucking divine, but you have such horrible table manners, my Bella. I'll have to teach you to share with me," Edward said as another boom of thunder shook the Earth.

"And what if I don't want to share?" I asked and Edward tugged hard on my hair so that my head went back and he could nibble at my neck.

"I wouldn't deny me dinner, my Bella; I get very aggressive when I don't eat," he growled before sinking his teeth hard into my neck making my muscles tense. A scream escaped me and my arousal soaked through my thong and in to the denim of my pants.

"Edward!"

He licked the wound closed with a moan and the rain began to fall hard making a loud smack every time a drop made contact with the Earth.

"Maybe I'll just have to deny you sex until you learn some manners, my Bella," he stated with a smirk latching on to the front of my pants and ripping them off in one swift motion before shoving me to the ground. I growled at him from my spot in the mud as I struck the Earth next to him with another bolt of lightning.

"I'd like to see you try," I snarled leaping from the ground and pushing him down so that I ended up straddling his waist.

Using my telekinesis I held his arms and legs down as I began to grind my soaked core against his jean covered bulge running my hands through my wet hair and moaning with pleasure. I pulled off my shirt and bra so he could get a better visual as I slid across his length. The friction caused my stomach to coil and so I continued to rub against him gripping on to his chest with my hands as I reached my peak.

"That's it, kitten, come for me. In fact come all you want, but I know you, you won't be satisfied until my cock is buried in your pussy and I have you screaming my name," Edward said in a husky voice laced with sex as thunder shook the ground.

The vibration of the Earth pushed me over the edge as I let out a loud moan.

"Ugh!"

I felt fantastic, but Edward was right I still wanted more so I crawled down his body ripping his jeans and boxers away. Leaning over I took his entire length in to my mouth sucking with just the right amount of pressure as another lightning bolt flashed across the sky.

"Ugh, shit, oh fuck, _tesoro_ , fuck, I love your mouth," he whimpered as I licked and sucked on his cock digging my nails in to his thighs. "Just like that, ugh!"

I gave up holding him down with my telekinesis and his hands founds there way to my hair and he began to guide my mouth over his length. Rain dripped down my hair and face as his cock slid in and out of my mouth over my tongue and to the back of my throat. I hummed against his skin and he thrust quicker making me moan in satisfaction as he started to growl his cock stiffening in my mouth.

"Bella, oh damn, fuck, I'm coming."

The taste of peppermint filled my mouth and I swallowed it all moaning as he let out a deep groan. When I released him from my mouth he attacked me to the ground pinning me there with his hands on my arms.

"If you ever use your power against me again you better have a damn good reason little girl," he growled as another boom of thunder shook the forest. "I'm in charge of pleasuring you and you will not prevent me from touching you by using your gifts, got it?"

He snarled viciously and released my hands as lightning flashed through the sky and my lips turned up into a huge grin.

"Admit it you loved that I took control and sucked your cock until you couldn't think straight." I stated giving him a cocky smile.

He thrust forward pushing his no prominent again erection against my drenched center as I let out a moan.

"Oh, I did indeed, but that doesn't make me any less angry about you coming without letting me touch you," he said pulling off his shirt with a growl before flipping me on to all fours. "And you're going to pay for that, you're not going to come until I let you, Isabella, and just so you know I intend to make you wait for it this time."

I let out a groan as he pulled off my thong and pushed in to me deep and hard the storm continued, but all I could see or feel was Edward. His fingers dug in to my hips and I started to whimper with need as he thrust in and out of me slower than I ever thought possible.

"Fuck, ugh faster, please."

"What's that, Isabella, I can't hear you?" he growled and I felt his hands grip my ass and squeeze hard.

"Ugh! Faster, PLEASE!" I screamed and his pace increased ever so slightly.

"Who's the only one who can make you feel like this, Isabella?" he snarled reaching his hand around and rubbing my clit as he pumped in and out of me.

"You, Master, only you, fuck!" I shouted feeling my stomach coil in knots as he started to thrust faster and deeper. "Please may I come, Master, please?"

"No, not yet," he growled and he started to really drill in to me making my insides scream for release.

He rubbed my clit in fast circles and I started to beg for mercy.

"Master, Oh GOD! I need to come, please let me come," I shouted clawing at the ground as he continued to thrust in to me reaching up to twirl a hand in my hair and pulling hard.

"Now, Isabella, come for me, only for me," he screamed as his cock stiffened my walls clenched immediately and he thrust in to me a few more times pinching my clit as we both screamed in our release.

"FUCK!"

Lightning filled up the sky and thunder shook the Earth as rain poured down from overhead and we fell to the ground panting. I curled in to Edward's side and he kissed my forehead running his hand through my wet muddy hair. Our bodies were covered with mud and grass from the ground and we had no clothes, but when I looked up into his golden eyes it didn't matter a bit. I stared up in to his golden irises and he gave me a smile before pressing his lips softly against mine.

"I love you, my Bella," he whispered when he released my lips and there was so much passion in his voice that it made me wish I could cry.

"I love you too, my Edward, more than words," I said running my hand along his chest before gazing up at the stars of the now clear sky.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**APOV (Alice)**

**August 3, 2005**

Seriously does this family ever go more than two weeks without some threat to our lives? It's been forever since I've been able to buy anything that wasn't purchased off the internet. I know we've had to stick together for the past month in case the Volturi came and blah, blah, blah, end of the world… I get it, but couldn't we at least go shopping? Hell, if I'm going to die I would preferably like to go out in a new pair of designer shoes. UGH! It may sound insensitive, but I guess shopping is my way of cooping with things and without it I'm feeling more than a little on edge. It's not helping that the stupid wolves and protectors are jacking up my visions too so I have no idea what's going to happen after we leave tonight. Plus, per Sandrine's orders Raylene is not allowed to tell us anything. I hate going forward blind more than I hate not being able to shop for some decent clothes.

Anyways, the family got together and after hours of discussion finally decided that we're going to the Volturi instead of sitting here and waiting for them to show up. Carlisle said that the best way to come out of this is for us to catch them by surprise and what better way to do that then show up when they have their army out searching for us? The only question was how the hell do we get everyone to Italy? Our small eight person family was currently on steroids with three werewolves, two nomad vampires, one ex Volturi guard, two cousins, an uncle, an aunt, and six protectors added in to the mix so I finally convinced Carlisle to buy a plane! I've been trying to convince him to get one for years and now that we really needed it he finally gave in. I just hope nothing happens so it doesn't have to go to waste…

"It won't close, Jazzy!" I yelled as I sat on my suitcase and tried to zip the zipper. "Stupid bag,"

"Ali, we're only going to be gone for a week tops and that bag is the size of a small car. Do you really need all those clothes?" Jazzy replied raising his eyebrow at me as I bounced on top of the suitcase still trying to close it.

My mouth gaped open in shock and I jumped down off the bag to show him what I had packed as I explained my reasoning.

"Of course I do! I have three dresses, in different colors and styles, depending on if there's some sort of special occasion and you can't have dresses without heels so I had to pack at least six different pairs of heels that I can choose from. For casual days and a wide variety of activities there are five pairs of classy pants, five pairs of jeans and ten sets of different colored ballet flats. In case of a makeover emergency I have to have a curling iron, straightener, blow dryer, hair brush, hair spray, and make-up, in three different skin tones. No outfit is complete without accessories so I need my scarves, hats, sunglasses and jewelry. But if you insist on me leaving some items I could leave behind the lingerie because with your attitude I won't need it."

His face dropped and he reached out to grab my arm and pulled me flush against his body. His long blonde hair fell in front of his eyes and I felt my heart clench with fear at the thought of never seeing that beautiful golden hair again.

"Oh come on, darling, you know I was just trying to help… How about you sit on the bag and I'll get the zipper?" he stated clearly feeling my fear and trying to sooth my worry.

I gave him a nod before jumping back up on to the bag and after a little bit of tugging we finally had the bag closed.

"So did you pack all the lingerie?" Jasper asked with a wink as he leaned forward picking me up off the bag.

Within seconds his lips were on mine, he was growling in to my mouth and I could feel the animalistic lust rolling off of him as he tossed me on to the bed. I pulled off my shirt gave him that come hither stare as I licked my lips and he ripped his shirt off as he launched himself on to the bed and attacked my mouth. The kiss was aggressive, but gentle as his hands roamed my sides and I let out a moan into the heat of his mouth savoring his delicious blackberry taste.

I tugged at his wrangler jeans and he helped me to wiggle them off his body along with his boxers as his lips moved to suck on my collarbone. The smell of my arousal was prominent; the sweet scent of honey and it was mixing with Jasper's intoxicating blackberry aroma making a heavenly perfume.

"Jasper," I whimpered running my hands up his back and wrapping my legs around his waist so I could grind my lace covered center against his erection.

"Ali, oh, Ali, darling, Mm," he moaned against my skin as he unclasped my bra, slid it off and threw it to the ground.

His tongue ran out along my collarbone and then down to my nipples where he swiped it across the stiff peaks before encasing his entire mouth around them. Words fell from my lips as I drowned in the lust pouring out of him.

"Jasper, ugh, yes,"

I thrust up for friction that I needed desperately as he sucked and nibbled on my nipples moaning and growling around the sensitive skin.

After several minutes of teasing me he thrust his erection against my body rubbing it across the dripping wet cotton of panties as we both let out needy groans. He reached between us ripping the obnoxious fabric from my body.

"OH GOD!" I screamed as his fingers dived straight in pumping in and out of me furiously.

My back arched of the bed making my now super nipples glide across his chiseled chest and all I could do was brace myself by gripping on to the sheets.

"Oh, Ali, you're so perfect, darling," he said as he worked his magical fingers running them along the spot that made my insides twist and coil.

"I need you, Jasper, god, I need you!" I panted because I wanted him so badly that I couldn't even think straight anymore.

"I know you do and I need you too," he replied pulling his fingers out of me and replacing them instantly with his hard aching cock.

My head fell back as he pushed in to me. You could practically taste the emotions in the air; lust, love, fear, hope, need, desire… The smell of honey and blackberry filled the entire room and I gripped his shoulders in my hands trying to hold on to him and keep him there forever. His thrusts were confident and his hands were strong yet soft against my sides as he rocked in to me and with each push forward I felt my stomach coil tighter. My legs tightened around his waist and his head fell in to the crook of my neck.

"Oh, ugh, god, I love you, come with me, darling," he whispered as he stiffened within me and I fell over the edge crying out in bliss as we both released and my heart exploded with an overwhelming amount of love.

"Jasper!"

He panted in to my skin and left dozens of light kisses against my neck and cheek.

"I love you, Jazz, please don't leave me," I whispered squeezing him tightly and feeling my chest constrict with fear.

**RPOV (Rosalie)**

"Oh come the fuck on, Emmy. Put away the video game and pack your clothes. I'm a bitch, but I damn sure am not your personal bitch," I stated as I shoved the last of my stuff in to the bag and closed the zipper.

"Just five more minutes, Rosie, please?" He whined with the cutest little pout on his lips and every one may think I'm a cold hearted bitch, but that fucking pout gets me every time and it makes me want to fall apart when I think this could be the last time I ever see it.

"Whatever, it will be your fault when you don't have any clothes to wear," I replied ignoring the gnawing feeling of fear as I crossed the room stepping in front of the television and placing my bag by the door.

Emmett's eyes followed me and the game controller dropped from his hands with a diabolical smirk.

"If I remember correctly though you like me better when I don't have clothes on," he stated pulling off his shirt and exposing his bulging muscles.

His voice was husky and masculine dripping in fucking sex and he jumped from the bed slamming my back in to the wall.

"Damn straight," I growled as he lifted my hands above my head and held them there.

He crashed his lips against mine and sucked on my tongue as he grinded his clothed body in to mine effectively pinning me to the wall. I let out a growl and jumped up wrapping my legs around his waist and thrust back as I drank in his mint flavor. He trailed his lips from down to my neck and I let out a groan when he bit into my skin before licking closed the small wound he created. His right hand moved down to the space between us as his left continued to hold my arms securely making me ache to touch his scrumptious body. Once his hand had a good hold of my shirt he ripped it off tossing the scrap pieces to the ground.

I let out a hiss because he knows how much I hate it when he tears my clothes, but he just chuckled as he moved his hand across my jean covered center pressing there and making my mind go blank. My eyes rolled back and he continued to rub me through my jeans as loud moans escaped my lips.

"Emmett, baby, yes, oh!"

He stilled his movements and my eyes flew open so I could glare at him, but he had a massive smirk on his face. Leaning forward he wrapped his teeth around my bra right in the middle of my cleavage and tugged ripping the bra from me with his mouth as my jaw dropped. Before I could say anything he was twirling his tongue around my nipples and growling against my skin. My insides curled and knotted as I pushed against him for friction arching my back off the wall and moaning loudly.

"Fuck I need you, oh fuck, baby,"

He released my arms and grabbed my waist slamming me to the ground on all fours. I felt his hand at the back of my jeans running across the skin of my exposed back and then tugging down the jeans so that I could feel the air against my pussy and ass. He left my legs stuck in the confines of my jeans and reached forward moving my panties to the side so he could slide his fingers in to me. My back bowed in pleasure and I screamed out his name as he leaned forward grabbing a handful of my tits with his other hand and bit in to my shoulder.

"Emmett!"

"Rosie, you're so fucking wet, baby. Ugh!" he groaned licking the bite on my back as he thrust his fingers and squeezed my left tit.

The smell of cinnamon and mint collided in the air and I heard him unzip his pants as his hand left my tit. I looked over my shoulder to see him stroking his cock as he continued to glide his fingers in and out of my pussy. His arm muscles flexed as he moved his hand along his length and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me.

"Fuck, you make my cock so fucking hard, Rosie," he groaned staring at my pussy and my ass.

I thrust backward in desperation and moaned loud when his thumb grazed my tight ass and Emmett's eyes lit up like fucking Christmas morning.

"Fuck!" he growled and he shoved his cock in me so hard that I lurched forward.

I let out a growl and tilted my head back as he pushed in to me hard and fast holding on to my ass in both hands and gliding his thumb over the hole there making me moan even more.

"Yes, oh, Emmett, yes!"

He slid his thumb in to my ass while he pounded in to me making my pussy clamp down on him as I screamed in my release.

"FUCK!"

His thrusts got quick and needy as his cock stiffened and he squeezed my ass hard as he released groaning with bliss.

"Ugh!"

He slid his thumb out as he leaned over and I turned my head to see his face. He kissed me hard, but it wasn't forceful it was filled with love and affection and it made my eyes blurry.

"I love you, Rosie," he said when he released my lips.

"I know, I love you too, Emmy," I replied and then the gnawing feeling of fear crept back in making me more frightened then ever.

**EPOV (Esme)**

I had already finished packing and was working on making some lunch for the wolves when Carlisle walked in to the kitchen. I could tell by the look on his face that he was worried just like I was, worried for our family, worried for the future. Ever since the decision was made to go to Italy he's been obsessively planning, trying to work out every small detail. He doesn't enjoy the thought of killing anyone and for him to put this much effort in to devising a plan to kill the Volturi was really taking a toll on him.

"Lunch is ready," I said loud enough for the wolves to hear as I finished the last of the sandwiches. I turned towards Carlisle and grabbed his hand leading him in to his study. "Is there anything I can do, honey?"

He shook his head no, but the scared expression on his face made me want to hold him so I sat down on his desk and pulled his body towards me so I could wrap my arms around him. I rested my head on his chest and he breathed in a deep breath as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"It'll be okay, it has to be," I said softly before leaning back and his hand came to rest on my cheek.

He gazed in to my eyes and I could practically feel his fear as he caressed my skin with his fingertips. His face inched closer and then he pressed his lips to mine with tenderness and longing. My fingers pushed in to his back and he guided me down on to the desk so I was flat on my back as his sweet coconut taste filled my mouth. I moaned softly as his lips became needier and his hands slid under the hem of my shirt and ran along my smooth skin.

His lips left mine and he whispered into my ear causing his warm breath to hit my neck.

"Oh, Esme, you're so wonderful, god, I love you."

It was obvious what he needed at the moment and I couldn't deny him especially since I needed it just as bad. I let my hands grip on to the bottom of his shirt and he allowed me to lift it off exposing his perfectly sculpted upper body. He looked in to my eyes and I ran my hands across his skin feeling the ripples of the muscles as he groaned in to the space between us.

His hands rested on my hips and then moved down underneath my white summer dress so he could rub his hands over my thighs. I let out a moan and my arousal became clear making the air smell like coconut and apples. Carlisle left kisses against my neck as I gently unbuttoned and tugged down his dress pants and boxers letting them fall to the floor. He grinded his body in to mine and I could feel his stiff erection against the heat between my thighs.

"Carlisle, oh, make love to me," I whimpered and I heard everything that was on the desk clatter to the floor.

He pulled my dress up and it floated down to the ground as his lips wandered back to my mouth. Reaching around he unclasped my bra and I let out a sigh as he removed my panties and lifted my legs to wrap around my waist. He didn't hesitate or prolong the moment instead he pushed in to me placing his hands on my hips as we both groaned into the heat of each other's mouths. I let my hands roam across his chest as he thrust and my stomach twisted and curled.

"Oh god, Esme!" He moaned as he released my lips and continued to rock in to me sliding his right hand up my body and rubbing my nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

"Ugh! I love you, Carlisle," I whimpered grasping his shoulders and pulling him so his chest was against mine.

I felt him stiffen and my walls clamped down immediately in my release as he thrust forward with urgency smacking his lips against mine in his. The sounds of muffled moans filled the room as we fell down from our orgasm induced high and then the worry and the fear came back full force.

**BPOV (Bella)**

Edward and I were silent as we threw our clothes in to suitcases stealing glances at each other. We were both terrified and I didn't even need to use Jasper's gift to know it. I was consumed with fear and no matter what I did it wouldn't go away. All the planning in the world couldn't make what we were doing easy. We finished packing and stacked our bags by the door causing my side to brush against his.

He looked over at me and I looked back at him and not a word needed to be said. We latched on to each other tumbling to the bed as we shredded our clothes. His hand cradled my face and his lips were everywhere as I whimpered with both need and fear. The two emotions were tangled within me attacking each other and fighting for control over me. I focused on Edward and the way his lips felt on mine, soft yet forceful. Reaching up I tugged on his hair and my vision blurred with tears.

The need won over the fear, but the fear lingered deep in the pit of my stomach. Every inch of our bodies was touching as he thrust in to me, but I couldn't get close enough. My whimpers grew louder as he stroked my face and hair. He moved slowly and with purpose, pushing in deep while he continued to kiss me with passion that made my still heart ache. I ran my hands along his back and through his hair wanting to memorize every inch of his body and when we reached the tipping point I couldn't make myself let go. Edward leaned back taking his lips away from mine and stared hard in to my eyes.

"Let go, love…god, just let go," he said and the strain in his voice made it sound like he was on the verge of tears making it impossible for my body to deny him.

I pressed my head in to the crook of his neck and let out a moan as I released crushing his body to mine and clinging on to him. As I fell over the edge so did he and we just laid there both our shoulders raking with dry sobs while the fear crept in and consumed us.

**EPOV (Edward)**

**August 4, 2005**

So here we were my whole family, my closest friends, and my greatest love flying to Volterra. The plane was silent as couples clung to each other while both Jasper and Bella tried to calm everyone's shot nerves, but the waves of calm seemed to be overpowered by the intense feeling of dread in the air. We were closing in our destination, a small private run way just outside of Volterra. It was dark out, still a few hours before dawn when Eleazar announced that we were landing and you could almost hear the collective intake of breath in the room. Bella squeezed my hand in hers and I squeezed back as the wheels touched down. We all sat there every one glancing around the room until Carlisle spoke and all attention went to him.

"Alright everyone we have exactly three hours until dawn. There's a car here that will take Eleazar and Carmen in to Volterra. They will meet with the brothers and figure out our easiest entry point. Bella and Sammy will be guarding our minds from the moment we step foot off this plane, but Bella is not to use any of her other powers until absolutely necessary. Once we get the call from Eleazar and Carmen we'll head in to the city using the four black SUVs we've rented. Eleazar will get the brothers alone so they'll be easy targets when we arrive. We'll take them down and then Demetri will track Drake. Guards should only be killed when necessary. The only exceptions are Renata, Jane and Alec who must be taken out at all costs. When the sun comes up Edward, with help from Bella, will create cloud coverage so we'll be able to move quickly and get out of here before any humans become suspicious. If at anytime you choose to run, no one here will think any less of you, just let someone know and you are free to go. We have to get going, but I would appreciate it if you would all grasp the hands of the two people closest to you so that I could lead us in a prayer."

We were hesitant, but eventually everyone grabbed two hands and I had Bella's hand in my right and Alice's in my left. The fear was still lingering in the air, but as we all joined hands a feeling of hope seeped in to our circle. We tilted our heads, Bella and Alice squeezed my hands and Carlisle's voice filled the silence.

"Heavenly father, we ask you to watch over us and forgive us for what we are about to do. We pray that you guide us and allow us to rid the world of this evil. May you bless us in our journey and comfort us in our time of need, Amen."

There was a collective Amen and I released Alice's hand. We hugged Carmen and Eleazar goodbye, wishing them luck as they stepped off the plane. Their car drove away in to the night and we stepped off the plane in to the hanger and headed for the black SUVs.

**BPOV (Bella)**

Carlisle and Esme took their seats in the front. Rose, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I all found spots in the back. We drove to an abandoned park that was nothing, but empty fields and stood outside with everyone else as we waited for Eleazar's call. I looked around and caught Jake and Irina rolling around in the dark grass and quickly averted my eyes. When I scanned the area I locked eyes on Alexander who was sitting Indian style and meditating. He seemed a lot calmer than the rest of us and the sad thing is I think it's because he really didn't care if he lived, in fact it almost seemed to me that he didn't want to live. It scared me to think that we were going in to battle with someone who's will to live was so low, but even more frightening than that is that I know I would be the exact same way if I was in his position. If something happened to Edward I wouldn't want to continue living, I don't even think I could. Eternal life would mean nothing without Edward.

"Hey, let's go find somewhere to talk," I said looking up at Edward and forcing a small smile on my face.

I knew he could see right through my fake happiness, but it didn't stop me from trying. He gave a nod and we walked away from the others and settled on to the grass. I sat between his legs and curled up so I could sit with my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me holding me tight to him and rubbed circles along my back.

"I want you to promise me something," I said looking in to his eyes as I clutched his shirt in my right hand balling it in to a tight fist around the fabric.

"I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself if that's what your thinking, Bella. We've gone over this, I won't let you put yourself in harms way to protect me. It's my job to protect you and it will be a cold day in hell when I agree to let you die for me," he replied as his eyes stared hard in to mine, his lips rigged with pent up frustration.

I rolled my eyes in irritation before I spoke again holding back the urge to get angry considering it was not the best time to argue.

"Just listen to what I have to say, Edward. You read the letter from Sandrine…Both her and my parents gave up their lives to give _me_ this slim chance to change the future. Not you, not your family, the wolves, the protectors, or Sammy, but me. This is just as big a part of my destiny as you are and if I fail…if I fail, it's all over, Edward, and life will cease to be, but if I lose you my life will mean nothing… So promise me one thing, Edward Cullen. Promise me that you'll be there when this is all over and I promise I will do everything to stay out of harms way."

He reached forward brushing my hair out of my face and let his hand rest on my cheek as he gazed in to my eyes.

"I promise that nothing will keep me away from you, my Bella…," he replied and he leaned in to me so that his lips brushed against mine.

The kiss was sweet and loving, but quickly cut short by the ringing of Carlisle's cell phone.

He put it on speaker phone knowing that we could all hear the call anyway and Eleazar's frightened voice came through the speaker.

"Get out of there now! There's something going on. All the guards are attacking us and I don't know why! Get as far away from here as you can, RUN!"

Everyone bolted for the SUVs and you could hear the tires squeal as we peeled off down the road. I held Edward's hand in mine and squeezed so hard that I'm surprised I didn't hurt him. We barreled down side streets and as the sun started to turn the sky beautiful shades of gold and pink I saw the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. Thousands of them, blood thirsty vampires, were running up the hill behind us, eyes crimson red and skin glinting in the small bits of sunlight.

"HOLY SHIT!" Emmett screamed.

"We have to get out of the car, we can't out run them!" Carlisle shouted pulling the SUV off road and in to a field of dirt. The car shook as we drove across the rough terrain and it was clear the vampires were catching up fast. "Jump!"

I grabbed the handle of the car door and pushed it open while still holding on to Edward's hand. I leapt from the vehicle, the others followed suit and we watched as the other three SUVS did the same. Leah, Seth, and Jacob phased into wolves and I threw up my physical shield surrounding all of us as the vampires closed in. Everyone circled me blocking me from attack and I felt the first few smacks of weight against my shield. My stomach lurched and I gritted my teeth holding my ground as more pounded into the invisible dome, snarling and growling with their mouths dripping venom.

"FUCK!" I screamed as another three or so smacked their hands against the side.

My body started to shake as I heard Edward's voice screaming at the top of his lungs at Alexander.

"She's not going to be able to hold. DO SOMETHING!"

His eyes went wide and the sky in the distance started to fill with this thick purple smoke. Edward pulled me in to his arms squeezing me as I started screaming pushing against the massive force of hundreds of vampires pounding and scratching against the dome.

"ALEXANDER!" Edward screamed and I could barely hear him over the pounding of my head and the sudden urge to black out.

I felt the darkness creeping in and I tried to push it back as I clung to Edward.

"STOP!" I shouted at the top of my lungs feeling the clash of thunder just before a massive lightning bolt hurdled down to Earth and split the ground in two around us, sending half the vampires into a plummeting pit of doom and effectively blocking us off from the rest.

A jolt ran through me and Edward quickly let go due to the shock, but stayed close to my body. The air around us was stale with fear, but I kept the shield up. My skin was buzzing with electricity as Kate's power vibrated my body. The wind swirled around outside the barrier knocking over trees and blowing around the thick purple clouds of smoke. I could see fire in the distance and hear the screams. We needed to get out of here…an idea came into my head and I had no idea if it would work, but I would damn sure try. I concentrated on my shield and using all my energy I pushed it upwards with my telekinesis. I could feel a tug as the dome split away from the Earth and created a half bubble with a flat clear bottom in the purple haze sky. There were voices of shock around me, but I blocked them out focusing all of my attention only on the shield and getting us to safety. Gradually I felt my strength grow and I pushed forward making the shield guide us over to the plumes of fire.

It was no surprise to me that I found her there. Jane had a grin on her face as she walked through the city behind the carnage of Drake who was controlling the blood thirsty fiends in front of him. The noise that had generated in the shield had vanished and we floated along in complete silence above and behind them. She didn't even notice we were there instead she continued to stroll down the street watching as the vampires rounded up humans taking them from their homes by force. I realized then that we had a very big problem on our hands. If we took out the Volturi and Drake we would need to find a way to make these humans forget what they saw. The army attacked any vampire who happened to get in their path and then lit them on fire causing the thick purple smog that was clouding the atmosphere. Drake had control over everything and as I gazed at the look of evil glee on his face the perfect idea popped in to my head. I need Drake's power… and there's only one way to get it.

I turned to face Edward and closed the gap between us. Wrapping my arms around his neck I captured his lips with mine and poured every ounce of love I had in to that kiss. His arms enveloped my waist and my fingers tangled in his tousled bronze hair as our lips slid across each other like silk. It was just me and him in that moment overwhelmed by this intense feeling of undeniable, earth shattering love.

"I love you so much more than words, my Edward," I said when I pulled my lips away.

"I love you, my Bella," he whispered and his sweet peppermint breath blew across my face.

"Do you trust me?" I asked and he looked deep in to my eyes with that searching look before giving me a nod.

"Good, because I'm about to break my promise," I replied and I let him go as I created a whole in the bottom of my shield and a second bubble just for me.

Opening my mind to only Edward I let him see what I had planned and before he had the chance to protest I pushed the large bubble in to a vacant field a few miles away, far enough away that my family would be safe without it. The shield popped when they landed and I drifted to the ground in an alley not far from Jane and Drake. I took off running towards the castle pounding through the doors and in to the throne room. Aro, Caius, and Marcus all sat on their designated thrones surrounded by several guards. Renata's shield went up as soon as I entered and I suppressed a laugh at the arrogant look on her face.

"Aro, Caius, Marcus! It's so nice to see you," I said with a big smile. "Sorry I'm late…you know how it is."

Diabolic grins broke out on Aro and Caius' faces whether it was because they were excited to see me or looking forward to killing me I don't know, but Marcus didn't seem to care at all that I was there. He actually seemed somewhat preoccupied staring at a crack on the floor. The guards, seeing me as a threat, ran toward me immediately colliding with my shield as I let out a laugh.

"Chill out, we're playing for the same team here, boys and girls. So where in the hell do you want me, Aro?" I asked with a cocky grin crossing my arms and silently praying this would work.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**EPOV (Edward)**

"Just relax, Edward, I'm sure Bella knows what she's doing," Alice said resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Relax?" I yelled at her, shrugging her hand off of me. "How in hell am I supposed to relax when my wife ditched me here to go run into Volterra because she has some pre-conceived notion that it's her job to save the world?"

My eyes scanned the group and locked on Alexander who was standing in the grass a few feet away looking bored and unconcerned. His face showed no signs of unease as if he was completely detached from the situation.

"You," I said through clenched teeth as I rushed towards him wrapping my hand around his throat and lifting his body off the Earth.

The other protectors hurried towards us as my family screamed in the background, but Alexander just shook his head, motioning for the group to stay back.

"This is all your fault!" I screamed as I squeezed his throat in my hands, feeling the muscles tighten underneath my grip.

I felt my sanity slipping away, my hold on reality gradually disappearing. A growl ripped from my chest, but Alexander didn't even flinch. I'd never felt so animalistic, so downright evil, in my entire existence. I was holding this innocent man's life in my hand, feeling the electricity pulsating in his veins and I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into his jugular and suck the life out of his body.

_Edward, stop! What would Bella think of you, son, if you took his life? How would you explain yourself to her?_

Bella's face came to mind, lips curved down in a frown, eyes cold and sad. Slowly I released my hand as I heaved a sigh, feeling disappointed in myself, both for almost killing an innocent creature and for wasting my time on placing blame when I should have been thinking about Bella. I gave a nod toward Carlisle and than gazed at Alexander who stood once again looking completely unaffected.

Everyone else looked confused and thoughtful; I could tell what most of them were thinking and the rest of them I assumed were presumably asking themselves the same questions. The puzzle we were now stuck with was still unclear, pieces scattered about and lost. Do we go to Volterra or do we wait for Bella? Fight or wait? Are we supposed to run or are we supposed to hide? Nothing was working out like we planned. None of the pieces fit where we thought they would go and the big picture, our guide, was being kept hidden away. Peering over at Raylene I saw a mask on her face. She was trying so hard to look impartial yet everyone knew that she held the box that showed where all the puzzle pieces fit and at this point it was far too difficult to ignore.

"We need some guidance here," I said looking hard in to her eyes. "I need to know what to do."

She tore her eyes away from mine and glanced into a section of the forest that surrounded us. To others it probably seemed like she was refusing to answer, but there was something in her eyes, something in the sea of electric violet that provided me with the answer I was looking for. I followed her gaze and nodded my head in gratitude and then I bolted through the trees, taking off like a bullet.

My mind was racing with the plan Bella had shown me. She was joining the Volturi, working from the inside so she could absorb Drake's power. The problem with that is she would have to take down her shield which would most likely cause her to black out and I needed to be there to protect her, to stop her from being destroyed…

**BPOV (Bella)**

I dropped my shield, immediately causing me to feel uncomfortable, but it was necessary. Since my physical defense was down I opened up my mind to the thoughts around me keeping them faded in the background. As Aro started to talk I held back the urge to chuckle when one of Felix's thoughts came through.

_Mm a fresh face will be nice to have around I'm getting tired of Heidi; her fake orgasms are so obvious._

"Ah, Isabella, I was so pleased when my new guard informed me of the expansion of your shield. It's such a delight. For a while there I thought you'd run off on us. Tell me, child, what happened to my guard?"

Well he hasn't changed a bit, same old Aro, making polite conversation yet still coming off cocky and arrogant. They really need to stop feeding his ego…

I knew Aro was going to ask this question so I had already thought up an excuse. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than telling the truth.

"I had some trouble with him. It appears that Marcus' ability may be a tad out of touch because the farther away we got from Volterra the more defiant he got." I replied keeping my voice flat and uninterested. "He didn't want to come back so I left him and came back on my own."

_Strange, Marcus has never had a problem with distances._

I kept on my poker face, not allowing Aro's thoughts to effect me. One of the many tricks I had learned from Edward.

"I see, so, Isabella, what exactly are the capabilities of your power now, if I may be so bold to ask?" he questioned clasping his hands together in his lap admiring a seam in his black cloak as if he cared more about the clothes he was wearing than my response.

"As far as I can tell it appears my shield has expanded to be not only mental, but physical," I responded knowing exactly what his next question would be even if I wasn't using Edward's power and it didn't take him more than a few seconds to ask.

"Can you extend them to protect others as well?"

"Yes, but it requires a great amount of control to hold so I can only do it for so long," I lied, since the attack just now in the field I had a feeling that I could hold my physical shield indefinitely if I had to.

Aro's brow furrowed in irritation at my response, but quickly his face adjusted back to normal matching his sinister smile.

_Great, she's completely useless…maybe I could use her as bait. Drake says she was close to the Cullens. I'm sure those pathetic vegetarians will come running when they find out that I have her…it will be so easy._

Ha, useless, if only he knew?

"Well, we'll just have to work on that, come," he said eyeing a spot just to the right of his throne, opposite of Renata. One of the other guards handed me a gray cloak and I threw it on before standing in my place next to Aro.

Step 1, Infiltrate the Volturi, check.

The door swung open and Drake and Jane walked in to the room. Both their eyes latched on to me and Jane gave a hiss of displeasure. Drake appeared shocked and when I focused in on his thoughts I wasn't surprised at what I heard, although it was pretty annoying that I couldn't get a 100 percent clear read on him.

_Ridiculous, she can just show up after months…Aro still wants…stupid petulant child…At least she got rid of Tanya…have to get rid of her…_

He was beyond childish and it was obvious that he was nothing without his manipulation power.

"Drake, my boy, I need you to escort Isabella here to her living quarters and than I would like to speak to you privately," Aro announced waving his hand in a shooing gesture.

"Of course, Master Aro," Drake said with a bow before motioning for me to follow him.

I followed him out of the room and into the long never-ending maze of the castle corridors. He didn't speak at all, but his thoughts ran rapid as we snaked along the stone passageways.

_Her shield will be a problem…catch her off guard…gain her trust._

Ha, you can try Drake, but I have a feeling that's not going to work.

He stopped at a large, ornate wooden door and without acknowledging him I pushed it open and shut it closed behind me. I listened to his footsteps retreat and then quickly scanned the room for cameras. It was entirely too decadent for my taste like standing in the middle of a museum. There was an elegant lounge chair in black on the left side of the room that seemed to be some sort of a sitting area. The far right corner of the room was occupied by a queen sized four post iron bed covered with a black duvet, embroidered with the Volturi crest in blood red. I examined the floor, gray marble, and a large window on the back wall that held a view of a cobblestone courtyard. A couple of doors on the left wall led to a walk in closet and a posh bathroom with black marbled counter tops, a vanity, Jacuzzi tub and large open shower. After looking around the room I pulled the hood of my cloak up and headed for the door. I went to turn the fancy marble doorknob just as a loud crash resonated in my ears.

I didn't think instead I rushed towards the noise taking off at full speed. My vampire hearing was sharp and I had little trouble following the sounds of shattered glass and crumbling marble.

As I ran I scanned the thoughts of the castle, searching and hoping not to find the one train of thought that would ruin everything. Within seconds I found myself focused on the thoughts of Aro who appeared intrigued and highly amused.

_I don't believe it! Such skill, such ferocity, I must have them…_

I could feel the fear practically gnawing away at my insides when I recognized the creatures in Aro's sights. A gangly sand colored wolf was growling at several of the guards that surrounded himself and a beautiful gray wolf, hooked around their necks were steel collars that attached to chains. It was obvious they were Seth and Leah, but where were the others? Stopping at the entrance to the throne room I listened in to the conversation, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"We found them in the woods just outside of town; they were chasing a male vampire. He was too fast for them, but we managed to snag them before they found another," one of the guards informed Aro.

I saw in the guard's thoughts the vampire that Seth and Leah had been chasing; he was unmistakable with his bronze hair. It had been Edward. I was more than a little confused. Why would Edward run from Leah and Seth and why in hell would they leave the group? Leah and Seth's thought were focused entirely on the enemies around them so I wouldn't be getting an answer for the time being.

"What would you like us to do with them, Master?" The guard asked pulling on Seth's chain when he let out a snarl.

_I've always wanted some werewolves in the guard…but these ones may be more trouble than their worth. It's clear that neither is a pack leader, just young new wolves, still how intriguing it is that they can change in the middle of the day without the full moon. I suppose I'll keep them around…for now._

"Put them in the dungeon for now and we'll see if we can't soften them up a bit," Aro replied with a grin. He stared hard at Seth and Leah. They hissed in his direction baring their teeth. "Perhaps you could teach them some manners…a few broken limbs should do the trick."

It's then that I realized I couldn't stall any longer I threw open the door and pulled off the hood of my gray cloak as I rushed to the wolves side.

"They're with me," I stroked the top of Seth's head and hoped he would play along. "On my way back here I found them being attacked by a large group of newborns. I didn't know what they were, but I felt compelled to save them. They swore an oath of loyalty to me."

Aro's eyes lit up like a fucking Christmas tree as he watched both Leah and Seth flank my sides allowing me to stroke their fur.

"If it's okay with you, Master, I would like to keep them with me," I stated nearly choking on the word Master as it fell from my lips, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

_Wonderful, leverage, I suppose I could keep them around. After all if they're loyal to Isabella, they are in turn now loyal to me._

"Very well you may keep your pets Isabella, but you will make sure they know they work for me now. Any disobedience and I will have my guard's dispose of the wretched beasts. Now go, take them out of my sight before I change my mind," he said waving me off.

Without hesitation I grabbed the chains and proceeded to walk quickly out of the room with Seth and Leah in tow.

"What in the hell were you two thinking?" I hissed under my breath as I unshackled the collars and threw them to the floor of my fancy room.

_Edward ran to come here, we were trying to stop him._

_The stupid fucker is on some crusade to save you or something. Stupid fucking men, they think they know everything…_

I grabbed a pair of long loose looking shorts from my stocked closet and tossed them to Seth before he disappeared in to the bathroom to change. After scrounging a little I also found a black tank top and some jeans that I offered to Leah who quickly changed as my back was turn.

"What exactly does he plan on doing?" I whispered when Seth emerged from the bathroom.

"We don't know," he said as he scanned the area around him. "But what the hell are we going to do now?"

" _We_ are not doing anything," I walked over to the window and gazed at the horizon where the sun was beginning to set. "You two are going back to the group and I'm going to finish what I started."

"Bull shit! You can think whatever you want, Bella, but you don't own me and I'm not leaving here until this shit is done," Leah countered and Seth gave a nod.

"This is not some training exercise. The Volturi are evil, don't you understand that?" I hissed. "This is not open for discussion, go or I will make you go."

They didn't move so I opened the window and mouthed the word sorry before lifting them off the ground with my power and sending them off into the darkening sky.

I felt horrible for forcing them away, but I would rather cause them hurt then watch them die.

I let out a sigh as I gazed up at the rising moon watching the stars twinkle in the sky as the night wore on. I should have been searching the castle or continuing on with the plan, but my heart was full of fear. Edward was out there somewhere, devising some way to interfere with my plan and deep in the pit of my stomach I knew what would happen. I tried not to think about it, to ignore it, but some part of me knew the horrible conclusion that lay ahead. The sky started to lighten as I stood still as stone by the window frozen by my fear. I felt my insides twist as the sun rose drowning the sky in pinks and oranges, purple smoke loomed in the distance and the sounds of human screams filled the air. The dungeons were locked tight; full of them, but you could hear their screams over the chirping sounds of the morning birds. The guards were feeding… I flinched at the pain in their voices, but couldn't make my feet move and just as the screams disappeared I caught the distinct sound of footsteps approaching. The soft thumps of bare feet were the only noise I could hear and I tensed as it stopped just outside my door.

I opened up my mind to the thoughts of the person standing outside, but nothing came through so I inched my way towards the door with caution, listening intently for any noise that might filter in to my sensitive ears. Curling my hand around the marble doorknob I swallowed back my anxiety and flung it open to a creature so frighteningly beautiful that I nearly fainted. Her eyes were the color of silver and her lips were a stunning shade of indigo. Her long silver hair fell in waves around her shoulders ending half way down her back and wrapping around her curvy frame. She wore a simple silver dress that shimmered like glitter and if I had seen wings on her I would have pegged her for an angel. She was glowing, this stunning luminescence of light emanating from her skin and lighting the space around her like the soft glow of a full moon.

"Who-" I began to talk, but she cut me off.

Her hand reached up and she placed her fingers lightly on my mouth as she stepped around me and into the room. She began to speak and her voice, soft and sweet as chiming bells, filled the air between us like the sweetest melody I had ever heard.

"You could take a guess, but I will be none of the things you think of… I am neither alive nor dead in any sense."

She stopped at the window sill gazing out on the rising sun as she continued.

"People have many names for me, but I am the deciding factor, the outcome of your decisions, the result of your choices, and the puppet master of lives… I am the conclusion, the chosen end, but you may call me Destiny…"


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**BPOV**

Stunning shades of pink and orange filled the sky outside creating one of the most glorious sunrises I had ever witnessed. Destiny continued to stare out the window, admiring the dawn, her skin sparkling like glitter, her silver hair glistening in the light. She was still and silent as I collected myself. I wondered briefly if vampires could hallucinate, or if maybe I had somehow fallen asleep and was dreaming this whole thing…Can vampires be mentally ill? I mean how else do I explain Destiny showing up at my door? I must be losing it…

"You are perfectly sane, but I have little time to explain that to you," she said answering my thoughts.

She turned towards me and her silver eyes were gleaming, giving off specks of light like metal in the sun. It was almost blinding even to my enhanced vampire vision. Her eyes were so intense it was like she could see right through me, past my outer appearance and right into my soul.

"Your fear is making you weak and today is a day for greatness not weakness. I chose you for a purpose and it is about time you trust my judgment. All will right itself in the end, but this is your moment to shine, do not fail me, Isabella."

The look on her face was a perfect poker face to hide her emotions, but her voice gave her away, she was disappointed in me. Her voice was stern yet at the same time chimed with all the musical glory of a thousand church bells sounding more motherly than I would have expected. Her words reverberated off the stone walls of the room and as she stood in front of me I watched the glow of her skin burst out in a flash of light as bright as a star in the sky. It was blinding, so concentrated and powerful that I had to force myself to look away. My eyelids turned a hue of bright orange pink from the flash and when it disappeared and I opened my eyes I found the space where she had been empty, nothing, but the morning light beaming through the window. I took a couple deep breaths as I stared at the spot where she had stood, watching the sun beams dance across the room. Their random patterns were mesmerizing and as I followed the beams all of the fear in my body seemed to dissipate replaced by a deep seeded need to prove myself, for victory… I ran to the closet and reached for a pair of black leather pants. I slipped them on along with a black tank top and grabbed a pair of boots, which I pulled on quickly. I tied my hair up in a hair tie and took one last look at the empty spot on the floor as Destiny's words ran through my head again. 'All will right itself in the end…'

"I'm holding you to it, Destiny," I whispered and I rushed out of the room.

Thanks to Demetri, I was able to navigate easily through the castle by taking a back route through abandoned service corridors, bypassing the guards. I threw up my physical shield as I slinked down along the tiny stone walkways. Maneuvering through the hidden halls I kept a tight grip on my target. It was easier than I thought it would be to snap in to the mindset of an evil being, to see Drake as a target and not a living creature. I was focused on the task at hand, seeing everything in black and white now, no hint of gray. Using Jasper's power allowed me to concentrate and keep a level head. Funny how I hadn't thought to use it before, Destiny had been right, the fear had weakened me.

With Demetri's tracking ability I located Drake with very little effort. The light was dim in my head, but as I got closer the light grew brighter. His thoughts were muddled as always flipping between arrays of evil schemes to kill me even as he stood there in the throne room next to Aro, just on the other side of the stone wall. The idea I had was risky, but simple and without providing myself time for second guesses I dropped my shield, opening my mind to the outside forces. I felt the pull of darkness latch on to me instantly. I allowed it to haul me in to its cold embrace and it sucked me in to the pit of nothingness where ropes, doors and lights lurked. My only hope was that this time I would find my way back quickly and that there would be a world waiting for me when I did.

**EPOV**

Bella had sent Leah and Seth back which is what I expected, Bella had always been stubborn about help. That's why I wouldn't give her the opportunity to send me away. I snuck in to the castle easy enough and found the halls that Demetri had thought of when we initially planned our invasion on the Volturi. The thoughts of guards buzzed in my ears as I huddled along the hidden passageways of the Volturi castle. It seems that most everybody knew they were here, they just were never used. The hallways led through different areas of the castle… mostly the east wing, but a few of the old service corridors led to the dungeons below me, the throne room, and the west wing. The space was damp and filthy which clearly meant it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time which was a very good thing.

I could hear the footsteps of a guard walking just on the other side of the secret wall, but his thoughts we're dull and useless to me. His name was Felix and he seemed rather focused on a woman named Heidi. His footsteps retreated and I continued to listen to the buzz of voices filling my head and that's where I found him, among the empty thoughts of his comrades.

_I can feel her mind…Isabella is close…_

Drake's thoughts came through above the others, clear as glass. He could sense her which could only mean one thing…she had dropped her shield and I had to find her before he did. I watched in my head as Drake's eyes darted around the throne room carefully searching for her, using the pull of her mind as a twisted map. While keeping my thoughts focused on Drake I moved stealthy and quick through the secret halls as I tried to find her too. I shut my eyes concentrating on the electric current I felt whenever she was near, that overwhelming electric pull making my body tingle and pulse. Using it as a guide, I maneuvered through the maze of passage ways as my teeth clenched more with every second that slipped through my fingers. He was close, but so was I, I could feel it. That deep overwhelming need to touch my wife, my lover, my other half was filling up my body, taking over my every thought. I turned a corner, my eyes flew open and there she was a vision in black…

Her body was slumped against the side of a wall and as I rushed toward her in silence I noticed two things. One, I had never been more ecstatic to see her. Two, someone was smashing through the wall at her side. I didn't think at all, what I did was merely out of love, there was no thought process and if I had to I would do it again even knowing what I do now. I reached through the hole in the wall latching my hands around Drake's neck and twisted with all my might. His head detached and his body fell to the floor, ragged as a limp doll; he hadn't even seen me coming. Crawling out of the hole in the wall I let out a growl and hissed at the guards who began to close in on me. Aro, Marcus and Caius sat comfortably at their thrones and as Aro looked from me to Drake's body he pulled the pieces together in his mind.

_It's the boy from Drake's thoughts; the one Isabella left for…the mind reader. Terrible shame he has such a great gift, although it really is of little use to me. Young love… makes me almost not want to kill him for attacking my best guard…oh who am I kidding? No it doesn't…_

"Kill him," Aro said the words with a smirk and not a moment's hesitation gazing at a small blonde girl.

My body felt like it was on fire, one hundred times worse than my change had ever been and against my own will my legs failed plummeting me to the ground. Every muscle in my body started to convulse and I could feel the heat building, scorching my insides. It was almost as if I had become the fire like my veins were circulating lava through my system. Everything burned from my toes to the tips of the hair on my head. Screams, I couldn't hold in, echoed across the marble walls of the throne room bouncing through the wide open space. The agony was so much more than my body could bear, the most excruciating thing I had ever felt. I squeezed my eyes closed as I tried to force air in to my lungs to stifle the agonizing heat that just continued to build. I realized this was more than just pain; this was death, liquid hot death. It was consuming me, making my toes and fingers curl and crack, my venom boil in my veins, my lungs gasp for unneeded, but wonderful air. Death was ripping through me, mind absorbing and completely unbearable.

I was scared, so incredibly scared, but not for myself. I was scared for her, scared of what this would do to her. Bella had been through so much and I couldn't help worrying about how much pain this would cause her. I forced my eyes to open. I wanted to see her; I wanted the last thing for my dying eyes to see to be Bella. She was there, cradled in the arms of one of the guards who was trying to wake her as the brothers looked on. Her dark brown hair was cascading over her shoulders, her lips a stunning shade of ruby red, and her face was in a state of utter contentment. She looked like an angel dressed in black. She had made life my whole life worth living. She had given me herself, inside and out…and, oh god, how I loved her…My angel, my wife, my _everything_ … My eyelids fell, my body twitched and the darkness descended swallowing me up whole as I used my last moment to breathe out her name.

"Bella…,"

**BPOV**

The rope started to twine slowly stretching out across the vast darkness in my mind. I heard nothing, I saw nothing, I smelled nothing, but this deep pit in my gut told me something was wrong…so very wrong. I tried to get the rope to twist faster as my anxiety built. It felt like an eternity was passing by and no matter how fast I tried to extend the rope the anxiety and fear continued to grow…that's when I heard his voice, the voice of my love, flat and lifeless.

"Bella…,"

This all consuming terror filled me and I started to panic. To my surprise and relief unexpectedly the rope lengthened stretching infinitely in to the abyss. I grabbed hold pulling hard and fast, out of the nothingness and in to the light. The smell of marble seeped in to my nose. Sounds filled my ears, meaningless voices and jumbled words coming through like gibberish. I finally reached the point where I felt I could open my eyes. They snapped open and fell immediately on him… Edward…no… He was sprawled across the floor, but I felt nothing radiating from him, no thoughts, no feelings, nothing…and I knew…I knew he was dead. I sprang from the arms of the guard gripping me in his hold and practically flew across the room falling to Edward's side as my vision blurred with tears. My heart clenched in my chest like a fucking vice grip as I collapsed on to his chest gripping his unmoving body in my arms. I was surrounded by my enemies, but it's like I couldn't think about anything except holding him in my arms as my body started to shake uncontrollably. The one thing I had feared more than anything had come true and the world meant nothing, victory meant nothing…revenge meant nothing…until I heard Aro's thoughts and then revenge meant everything…

_What a waste. Love, a stupid, useless emotion…the Volturi has no need for weakness…_

I felt the rage bubble in me and boil over at his thoughts. My vision clouded a deep blood red as venom dripped down my throat. I released Edward's body placing him gently on the ground as I threw up my physical shield with ease. It took little effort to dispose of Renata with my telekinesis and by the time I wrapped my fingers around Aro's stiff, marble neck the guards could do nothing to stop me. I felt the prickle of bodies against my shield, the buzz of powers against my mind, but it didn't even slow me down. His eyes danced with wonder, his thoughts still focused on my powers, arrogant as ever. I squeezed my fingers until finally I saw the fear in his eyes. His hands came up to his throat and he attempted to pry my fingers from it as his mind raced with thoughts of survival.

"The Volturi has no need for weakness, Aro," I snarled. I caught a glint in his eyes when all the puzzle pieces finally snapped in to place in his mind. He finally realized what I was, that I had the ability to absorb powers and even in that moment his mind filled with greed and power at the thought. "You're pathetic!"

I let my fingers slip through his neck like a hot knife through butter. His body collapsed to the floor as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the room. I whipped my head around just in time to see them emerge. My friends, my family and the protectors came barging through the door causing a wave of chaos. I threw my mental shield out around them as growls, snarls, and screams filled the room. Aro and Drake were quickly thrown into a massive pile of bodies and lit on fire and with both of them dead the massive battle we all expected was a lot simpler.

Amidst the insanity I walked across the room where I collapsed to the floor at Edward's side. I dropped my physical shield because really what was the point? Aro was dead, Drake was dead, life on Earth was saved, but in the end it cost me _everything_. I clung to him as my entire body shook with dry sobs. It hurt so bad, worse than when my parents died, worse than when he forgot about me, worse than my change, my heart and my whole world was shattered. Destiny was a fucking liar…Somehow my ears picked up the sounds of crackling fire and the screams of our enemy, but it didn't make me feel powerful, or victorious. It's like my insides were hollow with grief, like my soul had died with him and all that was left of me was an empty shell. He had saved me from the edge of sanity, given me himself when I had nothing left to live for…and, oh god, how I loved him. I gazed at the lifeless body of my mate, his unruly bronze hair flat, his eyes closed unnaturally, and his beautiful mind empty. I lay down beside him and curled in to his side, wrapping my arm around his form and shutting my eyes as tight as I could. I just laid there and prayed for death. He was _everything_ and without him life meant nothing…


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

**BPOV**

In my grief stricken state I'm surprised I heard his approach and even though I didn't want them to, my eyes opened out of instinct. Alexander rushed towards me to kneel at my side and when I didn't look up at him he began to shake my shoulders forcing me to focus on him.

"Drink from me, Bella, you must drink from me," Alexander begged as he pulled his shirt off and bared his neck to me. "I have the power to bring him back! He's still in limbo. If you drain me, if you take my power, you can save him. You can bring his soul back."

My mind started to race with possibilities as I absorbed the new information. Could I take someone's life in exchange for Edward's? Alexander sensed my hesitation and in a fit of desperation he brought his hand to his neck and pushed his nail in to the skin there. I watched as the nail cut through the tender skin at his throat, first the thin outer skin and then the thick inner skin, to expose a stream of sweet, succulent, electric blood. The smell of it was intoxicating and as the scent filled my nose venom began to flood my mouth.

"I'm begging you, Bella. I can't live without her anymore…Do it for me, do it for the both of us."

His violet eyes were pleading and it was so clear that he needed this too. He needed Sandrine just as much as I needed Edward and I could no longer deny myself. It's what we both wanted; it's what we both needed. I gave a nod because that's all I could manage before gripping onto Alexander's body and latching my teeth on to his neck… It was fucking euphoric.

I finally understood how hard Edward must have worked to hold back the urge to drink my blood. If drinking from a human was anything like drinking from a protector than I was extremely glad that I hadn't been in Edward's place. Drinking Alexander's warm, sweet, sticky blood was like drinking pure energy. The only way I could think to describe it would be electric, positively electric. My skin tingled and I hummed with pleasure as I swallowed and devoured every morsel that entered my mouth. My mind was so overcome with the delicious liquid filling my body that I noticed nothing until I felt Alexander fall limp in my arms.

Voices started filtering in to my ears, but everything was spinning, spiraling out of control and it was impossible to focus on anything. My veins tingled; my eyes flashed open, closed, open, closed. Then, when I thought I couldn't take one more second of the almost drug like trip, a shock hit me hard, zapping my body and my mind simultaneously. My vision was assaulted by a bright piercing light flashing before me and I had to force my eyes closed in protest. Slowly the light dimmed, until the orange pink tint of my eyelids was bearable and I felt him there, Edward…My eyes snapped open and I realized with perfect clarity where I was. The sun loomed in the sky giving of a warm tropical heat, warming the sand between my toes as the smell of salt water filled my nose. A short distance away, waves broke along the shore line and there he was, knee deep in the ocean, splashing through the surf, sparkling like a thousand diamonds.

He spotted me on the beach and gave me a crocked smile, that perfect smile, that made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. My lips curved up in a beaming smile and I rushed towards him, splashing him as I chased him through the water. It just felt so right... His topaz eyes sparkled with joy and I jumped him tackling him to the wet sand with all my force. Lips met lips, tongues twirled with passion and with little effort I straddled his body, effectively pinning him to the ground so I could grind my body against his. We kissed for what felt like forever, his hands running over my body, my hands running through his gorgeous bronze hair until finally I leaned back and he captured my face between his hands.

"My angel, you came for me," he whispered gently caressing my cheeks with his fingers and it was magical.

"Always," I whispered back as I twisted his hair around my finger.

"I love you, my beautiful Bella,"

"More than words, my Edward,"

We gazed at each other and I felt a strange jolt at my heart. Edward must have felt the same thing because his eyes widened with shock. We both gasped in unison when we heard the light pitter patter of our hearts pumping and not only were they pumping, but in rhythm no less. Neither of us knew what to say so we just laid there for a few minutes, resting a hand on each other's hearts as they beat at a steady, even pace. It was a strange feeling, our previously still hearts beating again, like being born for the second time. Our eyes never left each other and suddenly I noticed Edward's topaz gold irises being invaded by a bright electric violet.

"Edward, oh my god, Edward your eyes," I shouted in a sudden state of disbelief and panic.

"Bella, your eyes are turning violet," he replied and his voice was just as shaky and frightened, but before we had the opportunity to really start freaking out a voice tore us out of our bubble.

"It is your new destiny,"

I flew out of Edward's lap and we both crouched slightly in a defensive position. Edward's arm flung out protectively in front of me as I did the same, but the woman, standing no more than ten feet away, made no attempt to advance. She was beautiful, eyes the color of emeralds, skin pale white, hair a stunning bronze, dressed in a simple white dress and as I gazed at her features it all clicked in to place.

"Mom…,"

The word came out of Edward's mouth as little more than a sigh. I reached for his hand, gripping it firmly in my own in a sign of comfort. Elizabeth stepped forward and as she did a set of white feathered wings emerged from behind her, stretching out before they relaxed against her back. Edward squeezed my hand tight as the angel wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a motherly embrace.

"Edward,"

Her voice was so sweet like what home made warm apple pie would sound like. Slowly, I let go of Edward's hand giving him the chance to wrap his arms fully around his mother, but instead he released her and turned to me.

"Mom, this is my wife, Bella,"

Her arms enveloped me in a second as she let out a small bell like laugh.

"Oh, I know, dear. Your wedding was beautiful by the way,"

She stepped back a step and Edward cocked an eyebrow in confusion at her as she let out another tiny giggle.

"Did you really think I wouldn't watch over you, darling? I've seen everything you've ever done. Well, except your more "private" moments and before you even say anything I have never been and never will be ashamed of you. In fact I have never been more proud and it's obvious that the archangel, Michael, agrees or he would not have given you and your family such a great honor. Protectors are chosen because their hearts are as pure as their souls and he has never seen a family so pure in their love for one another and all of God's creatures."

Both Edward and I glanced at each other. His eyes were now a full bright electric violet, probably just like mine. A smile slid across my face at the sight of him, he looked more beautiful then I could ever imagine, and even though his skin still sparkled somewhat in the sun, it glowed with a new found luminescence.

"The others are all going through the change as we speak and if you wish to make the trip back, you must do it now."

"What about Alexander?"

Elizabeth gave me a smile and than answered my question with the answer, that I had deep inside, already known.

"What happened was destiny, it happened just the way it was always meant to…He is with Sandrine now and he wanted me to thank you. You have done a great thing, Bella, you saved my son and you saved the world and for both I will be eternally grateful, but you two must go before it is too late. There is still much in life you have yet to experience."

She pulled the two of us in another one of her warm, loving holds. The light around us flashed and I shut my eyes as I squeezed Edward's hand. Gradually the feel of Elizabeth's arms disappeared and I found myself back on the cold, marble floors of the Volturi castle, wrapped in Edward's arms. My eyes fluttered open and I was met with the most wonderful thing I have ever seen bright electric violet eyes and tousled bronze hair. Without a moment's hesitation I latched my lips to his and kissed him with all the passion my heart was capable of. The voices around us were filled with excitement and shock. Over all of them I heard the shouts of a crazy pixie.

"What the hell happened….your eyes…oh god…Edward…Bella!"

I felt Edward's lips curve up into a smile against mine and we both looked up to see our family circled around us with their eyes all a stunning electric violet. We stood up and were engulfed in the warm embrace of our family, an electric hum of energy crackling in the air. Who would have thought we were all destined for greatness? That in saving the world we would in turn save each other and make life worth living again? It was a tale of star crossed lovers pulled together by destiny and held together by the love only a family can provide. It was a story about tragedy and death, sacrifice and triumph, a love unlike any other and so much more than words.

**The End =)**

**Epilogue**

**Five Months Later**

**BPOV**

The excitement in me was bubbling over. The day was finally here. Five months had flown by since the Volturi battle and everything had pretty much gone back to normal, well with a few exceptions. We found Carmen and Eleazar in the Volturi dungeons when we went to free the humans and after explaining everything that had happened we were surprised to discover that they wanted to stay in Italy. The vampires needed leaders to keep the peace and they were well respected in the vampire community so it was actually a great idea. After I erased the human's memories using Drake's power I decided to lay off the abilities for a while. I used my shield to block most of them and only really used them for having a little bit of fun every once and a while. Alessia, Raylene, Zareb, and Tamotsu took some time off from protector duty and left a week or so after the fight, but we kept in touch.

Sammy and Derek decided to stay around and since they were still vampires they thought it was best to get their own place. They bought a cabin down the road and Derek took a job at the local hospital with Carlisle. Irina, Kate, and Demetri did the same, except they all moved in to a house together with Jake, Leah and Liam. Oh yeah, Liam and Leah hit it off. Turns out Leah had been fighting the imprint pull to him ever since they met. Eventually she gave in and they couldn't be happier. Seth was sent home by a very adamant Leah and Jacob, he visits often though. Everyone hung out at the lodge a lot these days and it was like we were all one big, happy family, a little strange, but happy.

I could hear the screams coming from downstairs and I tried to suppress the laughter that was building inside of me as Rosalie's voice got louder. I chanced a glance over at Edward and his eyebrow lifted as if to say, 'Are we going to tell them now?' I gave him a wink and he jumped to his feet, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the iron spiral staircase of the Alaskan lodge. He had been waiting months for this moment and he was almost more excited than I was. We reached the bottom of the stairs and I could clearly see the panic in Rosalie's new electric violet eyes. Her voice was filled with panic and I kind of felt bad for hiding this from her. Still, I knew it would all be worth it in the end, that this would be a moment none of us would ever forget.

"What's going on Carlisle? What in the hell is happening to me?" Rosalie screamed at Carlisle. "Protectors don't eat and I'm using my powers. I'm starving and not for blood, but food, real human food and I've been stuffing my face full of it! I'm getting fat!"

Her voice started to rise in urgency and terror and I released the shield I had placed three months earlier. Edward gave me a smile as we both turned to the back door. I counted down the seconds in my head, 5…4…3…2…1, the door flew open and Alice came running in looking like a blur, the only clear color being the violet of her eyes. She fell to the floor in front of Rose with a look of pure shock on her face. Cautiously, she stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Rose's legs capturing her in a strange looking hug.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing? You know I don't swing that way!" Rosalie screamed

Reflexively, Alice released her from the awkward hug before the flames ignited. When Rose's temper acted up so did her fire power. I couldn't help the snicker that escaped my lips as the room started to fill with spectators, Emmett and Jasper came in from the backyard, where they had been practicing Emmett's new power. It was kind of cool actually, he could possess people's bodies, but it only worked on one creature at a time. Esme walked in behind them, taking some time out from working on her Earth Power as the argument really started to heat up.

"We've gone over this. I don't know what to tell you, Rose. I've tried using my healing power, but it's not working," Carlisle stated, giving a sly wink in my direction.

I hadn't wanted to tell him what was going on with Rose, but with his new healing power he would have figured it out anyway. Lucky for our entertainment pleasure, Rose hadn't realized what was going on.

"Relax," I stated hiding a smirk as I flew to Rose's side and reached for her hand. "Hey, Emmett, come here,"

I made a come here motion and with a confused look on his face Emmett came forward. Gently, I grabbed Emmett's hand placing it over Rose's before lifting the bottom of her shirt and resting her hand lightly on her belly. I darted back to Edward's side just in time to look up and see Emmett and Rose's eyes widen and gloss over as the puzzle pieces finally snapped into place. Something close to a whimper escaped from Rose's lips and the electric tears in her eyes started to spill over. Emmett removed his hand carefully from Rose's belly and bent forward smacking his lips against hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist. I scanned the room and watched as Alice and Esme began to dab at the tears spilling from their eyes as well, while wrapped in the arms of a beaming Carlisle and Jasper.

I had never tried to shield a baby before, let alone three…

Rose's sweet Lillian May hadn't been the first. Edward wrapped his arms around me placing his chin on my shoulder and resting his hands on the lump emerging from my belly. At five months along, little Alexander Evans was a full on nudger. Without hesitation I lifted the shield I had placed around Alex and a sweet little girl named Raina Lynn, who was the youngest of the three. Alice was right around 4 weeks and when her eyes glazed over with her vision I almost half expected her to kill me, but of course she was far too ecstatic, jumping up and down with Rose, Emmett and Jasper. Esme and Carlisle radiated with happiness and parental pride and it made me happy to know that if Esme had truly wanted a baby she would be pregnant with the rest of us. That's the way it worked when you're a protector, if you truly wanted a baby than you were blessed with one. Edward squeezed me a little before brushing my hair off my neck to whisper in my ear.

"I love you, my Bella and our little nudger too."

I tilted my head back so that I could give him a short, passionate kiss before I whispered a reply.

"So much more than words, my Edward."


End file.
